§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff work in the correspondence unit of her Department; and if she will make a statement. [17723]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 23 November 2001]: The Department's correspondence section is currently comprised of nine permanent staff and 10 temporary staff. The size of the section has increased substantially in recent months to deal with the sheer volume of letters received during the foot and mouth disease outbreak and since the creation of DEFRA.