HL Deb 14 December 1999 vol 608 cc33-4WA
The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will list by grade the number of persons working in the Environment Group of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, broken down into their respective divisions and branches, with a short description of the function of each branch and the total cost of employing the personnel in each branch. [HL218]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Hayman)

The Ministry's Environment Group currently consists of the following divisions and branches.

Head of Group

Financial and IT co-ordination for the Group.

Conservation Management Division

Branch A—policy management of the Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme.

Branch B—policy management of the Countryside Stewardship scheme and financial and IT coordination for Environment Group.

The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone)

We are keen to ensure that the protection enjoyed by citizens in this country applies throughout the European Union and we will support the Commission in bringing forward effective action to combat discrimination in Europe as a whole.