§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many area officers are employed by his Department to deal with farming matters; and if he will make a statement. [143948]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 8 January 2001]: The job title of area officer does not exist in my Department. However, within my Department there are well over 100 offices (excluding HQ offices) where the staff deal directly or indirectly with farming matters. A breakdown of staff numbers is as follows:
Number Core MAFF 4,541 Pesticides Safety Directorate 196 Veterinary Medicines Directorate 113 Veterinary Laboratories Agency 1,223 Farming and Rural Conservation Agency 831 Central Science Laboratory 627 Total 7,531