§ Mr. RaffanTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he is making in Wales when the Farm and Countryside Service is established as a separate agency in April 1992.
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§ Mr. David HuntI have, in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, considered carefully the future of the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS). We looked at a number of proposals. Among the factors we took into account were the need for the new agency arrangements properly to reflect the respective responsibilities of my right hon. Friend and myself; the range and depth of the advisory services which could be offered; the interests of existing staff; and comparative costs. My principal concern was that the farming community in Wales should have access to the best possible advice in the years ahead. I have concluded that a joint England and Wales Agency having a distinctive Welsh management, with appropriate Welsh Office representation on its Ownership Board and responsible jointly to my right hon. Friend and me is the arrangement that would best meet the needs of the industry in Wales. Planning work is now therefore proceeding on that basis.