§ Mr. Keith HillTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people are employed by his Department to provide advice on the application of equal opportunities; and at what cost in the last year for which figures are available. [14471]
§ Mr. BoswellThe Ministry has a variety of staff involved in providing advice and information on equal opportunities, including trainers, personnel officers and legal advisors. In addition, there are staff with specific responsibility for advice in equal opportunity matters including an equal opportunities unit, and a network of agency, regional and local equal opportunity officers, for whom equal opportunities are only a portion of their responsibilities. The number of staff with such specific responsibility is therefore expressed below as full-time equivalents.
The number of full-time equivalents in the Ministry and its executive agencies with specific responsibility for equal opportunities policy, advice and implementation including the impact of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, case work and monitoring is 16.8.
The estimated annual cost of salaries, earnings-related national insurance contributions and superannuation for these individuals for the current financial year is £356,300.