§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) why he has abolished the post of chief scientist at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food;
(2) for what reason, either personal or in relation to policy, he has prematurely retired the chief scientist of his Department.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerFollowing a management review of my Department, which included a study of its top structure, I accepted a recommendation that the post of chief scientist at deputy secretary level should be replaced by two posts at under-secretary level—chief scientist (agriculture and horticulture) and chief scientist (fisheries and food). I have appointed the two new chief scientists as my scientific policy advisers and in that capacity they will have direct access to me. New organisational318W arrangements will help to bring scientific expertise more directly to bear on the process of policy formation and will produce an even closer co-ordination of the research effort between my Department and the Agricultural Research Council.
As a result of these changes, the chief scientist at deputy secretary level has retired from the public service.