§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the availability of Welsh speakers in Cardiff with suitable qualifications to staff a centralised agricultural grants department. [40912]
§ Mr. Ron DaviesOn 16 March 1998,Official Report, column 459, I announced my plans to engage consultants for a study to assess the options for securing improved administration of Common Agriculture Policy payments in Wales.
At this stage, the consultants have been asked to consider all feasible options. These could include options for centralising the service, for transferring responsibility for administering payments to MAFF or the Intervention Board, or for developing the service using the existing office structure.
All options will be assessed in terms of the costs, benefits and risks they represent for the Welsh Office, including their ability to deliver a local bilingual service to farmers.
60 per cent. of Welsh Office staff who have expressed an ability in the use of the Welsh language are Cardiff-based.