§ Lord O'Haganasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many officials in the Department of the Environment are responsible for assessing the impact of European Community legislation on the heritage.
The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Caithness)The department's Heritage Sponsorship Division and Environmental Protection International Division have the main responsibility for heritage matters and for co-ordination of departmental interests in all EC business respectively. Other areas of the department, such as Construction Industries Directorate, are involved when proposed EC legislation is relevant to their subject matter. It is not possible to say how many officials assess the impact of European legislation on the heritage: the numbers and the time spent by individual officers on heritage issues will vary according to the nature and type of legislation under consideration.