§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff have been employed in each year since 1979 by the disaster and refugee units of the Overseas Development Administration.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe information is as follows:
Year Disaster unit1 Refugee unit2 1980 4.0 — 1981 3.0 — 1982 3.0 — 1983 3.0 — 1984 2.5 2.5 1985 2.5 2.5 1986 2.5 2.5 1987 2.5 2.5 1988 2.5 2.5 1989 2.5 2.5 1 Temporary additional staff are assigned to the disaster unit during major and prolonged disasters. 2 The refugee unit was set up in 1984. The total number of permanent posts in the disaster and refugee units will shortly increase from five to seven.