§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the present staffing levels of his Department in each of the regions in England and Wales; and what steps he has taken to assure himself that these are sufficient to meet both current need and critical situations which arise from time to time.
§ Mr. CurryStaff-in-post numbers in the English regions and in Wales on 2 December 1991 were as follows:
Region 1Staff in post Eastern 818.0 Midland and West 1,000.5 Northern 675.0 South-Eastern 533.0 South-Western 844.0 Wales 189.0 1 Non-industrial and industrial Responsibility for ensuring the adequacy of staff numbers to deal with both routine and unexpected work lies in the first instance with local management, with input from headquarters in the case of more senior grades. In addition cyclical visits by staff inspectors give independent and objective assessment of the levels set. These visits are carried out in accordance with Treasury guidance on frequency, and the staff inspectors also provide an ad hoc consultancy service within the department as required.
These figures cover administrative, technical and professional staff in England, and professional and technical staff in Wales. (Administrative staff in the Principality come under the Welsh Office). These figures do not include officials who work outside London, but who are not part of the regional organisation structure, for example, Directorate of Fisheries Research.