HC Deb 30 April 1991 vol 190 cc113-4W
Mr. Bill Michie

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each civil defence region(a) the number of regional scientific advisers other than the chief regional scientific adviser, (b) the number of regional scientific adviser appointments that are currently vacant, (c) the average age of the regional scientific advisers other than the chief regional scientific adviser and (d) the amounts paid to regional scientific advisers other than the chief regional scientific adviser in each of the last five years in the form of salary, retainer and expenses.

Mr. John Patten

The Home Office has responsibility for appointing regional scientific advisers (RSAs) for the nine home defence regions in England and Wales. The Scottish Home and Health Department and Northern Ireland Office have similar responsibilities for their own home defence regions.

RSAs are not paid either a salary or a retainer as part of their civil defence duties. They are paid expenses in the form of professional lecturing fees together with costs for travel and subsistence in the course of their civil defence activities. With the exception of No. 5 region, each of the regions in England and Wales has a wartime operational scientific establishment of four RSAs. No. 5 region has only three. There are currently 43 RSAs appointed by the Home Office who in time of war could be assigned to any of the Home Defence regions; there are no vacancies for the wartime operational establishment.

The average ages of RSAs by region are given in table A. Aggregated figures for lecturing fees, subsistence and travel over the past five years are given in table B. Figures for individual regions and RSAs could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Table A
Number of RSAs Average age
Region 2: North East 4 56
Region 3: East Midlands 3 62
Region 4: East 5 63
Region 5: Greater London 5 63
Region 6: South East 7 62
Region 7: South West 4 70
Region 8: Wales 3 61
Region 9: West Midlands 5 58
Region 10: North West 7 58
Total 43 60

Table B
Travel and subsistence/professional fee
Travel Subsistence Total
£ £ £
1986–87 14,458 42,416 56,874
1987–88 17,068 46,933 64,001
1988–89 24,193 44,777 68,970
1989–90 19,007 50,741 69,748
1990–91 1 1 70,515
1 Separate figures for travel and subsistence not yet available.