§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff at her Department's office in Worcester performing comparable duties are on different rates of pay; what is the reason for such discrepancy; and if she will make a statement. [15633]
§ Mr. MorleyThere are around 300 permanent and casual staff working at my Department's offices in Worcester. Some of these staff have transferred to the newly created Rural Payments Agency but have retained their existing terms and conditions. All permanent staff are employed under the same pay arrangements and conditions of employment. Variations in individual levels 323W of pay of staff doing work of equal value occur because of a number of factors but principally because pay is linked to individual performance.
The foot and mouth disease (FMD) emergency has necessitated staff from other Government Departments being temporarily seconded to DEFRA. These staff have retained the pay, terms and conditions of their parent department. During the FMD emergency, others at Worcester have been employed temporarily on specific contractual terms (ie fee-paid temporary veterinary inspectors, consultants).
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the employees in(a) her Department and (b) agencies sponsored by her Department work in (i) London, (ii) areas benefiting from EU Objective 1 status, (iii) areas with Objective 2 status and (iv) other areas. [16105]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 19 November 2001]: The number of permanent civil servants employed by DEFRA and its agencies as at 1 October 2001 is given below. The figure for DEFRA includes staff who were in the process of transferring to the Rural Payments Agency. The information on the number of staff working in areas benefiting from EU Objective 1 and Objective 2 status is unavailable due to the disproportionate cost of collection.
London Elsewhere Total DEFRA 2,535 6,092 8,627 Agencies 0 2,642 2,642 Total 2,535 8,734 11,269