§ Mr. Corbettasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the present charge for submitting new seed varieties for national list trials; when these rates were last raised; and whether he has plans to raise charges.
§ Mrs. FennerThe following increased rates came into effect on 1 April 1983:
678WIts organisation and functions have continually adapted to meet the changing circumstances of the times and it will need to face the same scrutiny as the whole of my Ministry and be judged on its merits. Charges are made for certain ADAS services and the level of these charges is reviewed in accordance with changes in costs.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total number of staff by civil service category employed by the agricultural development and advisory service in each region of (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last five years to the latest convenient date.
§ Mr. JoplingThe number of ADAS regional staff in England and Wales over the last five years is as follows. These figures do not include headquarters staff, officers in the service's central laboratories or in other centrally organised units as, for example, the Ministry's experimental centres. Industrial staff, who are mainly employed at the experimental centres, are also excluded.
679W
£ (a) Tests for distinctness, uniformity and stability of— a cereal or potato variety (i) in first year of a testing cycle 425 (ii) in a subsequent year of a testing cycle 385 (b) Tests for one year for distinctness, uniformity and stability of— a field bean or field pea variety 175 a beet variety 330 a fodder plant variety (excluding a field bean or field pea variety) or an oil or fibre plant variety 330 (c) Tests for one season for distinctness, uniformity and stability of— a vegetable variety 175 The levels of charges are kept under review and I am currently considering the implications of the increased demand for testing of cereal varieties.