HC Deb 28 March 2003 vol 402 cc466-7W
Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the annual cost of the Environment Agency has been in each year since its inception. [105053]

Mr. Meacher

The annual expenditure of the Environment Agency since its inception is as follows:

£ million
1996–97 562.9
1997–98 603.8
1998–99 593.0
1999–2000 617.9
2000–01 640.2
2001–02 702.6
2002–03 1758.2
1 planned

Mr. Liddell-Grainger

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people worked for the Environment Agency in 2002 in(a) England and (b) Somerset. [105522]

Mr. Meacher

In 2002, 10,824 people worked for the Environment Agency, of whom 301 worked in the agency's three offices in Somerset.