§ Lord Lyellasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have for the future structure of ADAS.
Lord Lucas: The Government have announced their intention to transfer the majority of ADAS functions to the private sector. My right honourable friends the Secretary of State for Wales and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food are pleased with the progress that ADAS has made and, subject to its performance over the 1996ߝ97 financial year, will be looking to take privatisation forward in the course of 1997. The Secretary of State and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have agreed to create a new joint agency to take on those ADAS functions that need to be retained in the public sector. The new agency will work only on behalf of government customers. In line with government policy on privatisation it will not compete for work which is capable of being contracted out to the private sector. We expect the new agency to comprise around 400 professional staff and are planning for it to come into operation on 1 April 1997.