§ Baroness Byfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many state veterinary surgeons were employed in each of the years 1998 to 2003. [HL1206]
§ Lord WhittyThe number of permanent veterinary surgeons (full-time equivalent) employed by the State Veterinary Service at 1 January each year since 1998, is given in the table below. The figures do not include state veterinary surgeons employed in other areas of Defra and its agencies. The statistics for 2002 and 2003 do not include headquarters veterinary surgeons responsible for policy development in the Animal Health and Welfare Directorate General. In addition, as at 1 January 2003 there were 58 casual and fixed-term appointee veterinary staff.
Year Number of Vets 1998 302.0 1999 283.0 2000 284.0 2001 286.0 2002 252.3 2003 257.4