§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the number of scientists employed at each of the Agricultural and Food Research Council institutes since 1980, including those expected to be employed in 1991 and 1992; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alan HowarthAgricultural and Food Research Council-funded institutes were restructured during the period 1985 to 1987. For ease of reference, the figures for science group staff in post are shown on the basis of the present institutes of research.
The figures for actual numbers employed at 1 April in the relevant years to 1990 and estimates for 1991 are shown in the table. The number of staff employed in 1992 will depend on a number of factors including the funding available to the council through the science budget and the extent of commissions from the Ministry of Agriculture and other externally funded research. The present estimate is that the total number of scientific staff will be about 1,960, including Agricultural and Food Research Council staff employed in the British Society for Horticultural Research (BSHR).