§ Mr. CarrTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the director of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution to discuss staff recruitment.
§ Mr. TrippierI meet the director of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution regularly and discuss all aspects of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution's business including staffing and recruitment. There are currently 215 staff in post in Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution compared with 148 when Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution was established in April 1987 and 193 a year ago. The staff complement has recently been increased further to 250. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has 35 vacancies in the increased complement, of which 26 are for728W professional staff. Eight of the professional vacancies are reserved for successful candidates from the current recruitment competition. We are continuing to recruit actively to fill the remaining posts.