§ Lord Moyneasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the total cost of inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and from the Department of Health for the last year for which figures were available and for 1980.
Earl HoweThe term inspector has no common definition across or within departments and can be applied to a variety of staff in different grades and specialisms engaged on a range of functions, either solely or as part of other duties. Within the Ministry of Agriculture there are four main inspectorates designated as such and separately organised as operational units. These cover sea fisheries, plant health and seeds, horticultural marketing and fatstock and have total gross running costs (including pay and capital but excluding related receipts, accommodation and certain other overheads) of approximately £ 8 million in 1992–93. Comparable figures for 1980 are unfortunately not available. Costs of other inspection work are contained in the policy programmes to which they relate and could only be separately identified at disproportionate cost.Details of policy programmes themselves are, however,6WA set out in the Departmental Report and Supply Estimates, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.
The position for the Department of Health is broadly similar. Expenditure on the main separately identifiable inspectorates in 1992–93 was approximately £ 8.2 million, covering the UK Good Laboratory Practice Monitoring Authority, the Medicines Inspectorate and the work of the Social Services Inspectorate. Again, comparable figures for 1980 are not available.