§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will establish a three-month apprenticeship to be spent on farms, at an auction mart and in other rural situations for every new recruit to her Department.[141443]
§ Alun MichaelNew recruits attend a 'Welcome to Defra' event, which outlines Defra's aims and objectives, but, most induction training takes place in the workplace, where staff are encouraged to make outside visits to raise awareness of specific issues and to meet those involved. Resource restraints and equal opportunities policies do not make a three-month apprenticeship viable. It should be remembered that Defra's responsibilities are wide ranging and include local environmental issues in towns and cities as well as an interest in all matters effecting rural communities, food issues and environmental issues that range from the local to the global. A full indication of Defra's work is given at www.defra.gov.uk