HC Deb 25 October 2001 vol 373 c364W
Mr. Weir

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate total annual staff costs for her Department and its agencies by nation and region of the UK; and if she will make a statement. [6841]

Mr. Morley

The estimated staff costs (pay, national insurance contribution, pension provision) for my Department, for the 2001–02 financial year, are given in the table.

£ million
English Government Office Regions
East Midlands 7.5
Eastern 23.4
London 78.4
North East 9.0
North West 16.0
South East 115.4
South West 26.2
West Midlands 11.0
Yorkshire and Humberside 32.6
Total England 320.1
Scotland 2.9
Wales 0.7
Total 323.7

These figures do not include the additional costs incurred in tackling foot and mouth disease. They include full year costs for the following agencies: Central Science Laboratory, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Pesticides Safety Directorate, Rural Payments Agency (which came into being formally on 16 October), Veterinary Laboratories Agency and Veterinary Medicines Directorate. The Agency costs have been included in the region where their headquarters is based, for example the Rural Payments Agency has been included in the figures for the south-east. The figures for London reflect the large concentration of the Department's policy and senior staff being based there.