Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Research
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to ensure that the outputs from publicly-funded research related to agriculture are available for on-farm use. [315972]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Research is commissioned to inform policy development and dissemination for on-farm use is through specific policy areas. All DEFRA-funded research is publicly available on the DEFRA website. In addition, DEFRA joint funds research with industry through Farming and Food LINK programmes.
Cabinet Committees: Food
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates the Cabinet Sub-Committee on food has met since its creation; and who attended each meeting. [315006]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The sub-committee has met four times since its creation. However, further information is not available in the form requested, as the proceedings of Cabinet Committees are not generally disclosed. The membership of the sub-committee and its terms of reference are available at:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/secretariats/committees/daf.aspx
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department and each of its agencies; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries
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and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available. [312826]
Dan Norris: The information is as follows:
Core DEFRA (including Animal Health, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the Marine Fisheries Agency)
The following table shows the number of staff at those grades which hold line management responsibility as at 31 December 2009, expressed as full-time equivalents, along with the average annual pay costs for each grade for a single individual. Pay costs include salary, allowances, non-consolidated performance related variable pay, National Insurance contributions and superannuation charges. Further associated employment costs are only available at disproportionate cost. Staff numbers include permanent and fixed-term appointments.
Senior Civil Service figures shown include staff in the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) and the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA).
| Grade | Staff in post (FTE) | Average annual pay cost (£) |
RPA has seven layers of management from the SCS (Director) level to Executive Office (EO). In the 2008-09 financial year this equated to 1,622.55 people (FTE).
The amount spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff in each management layer below the SCS are shown in the following table:
| Grade levels | Staff Number (FTE)(1) | Cost (£000)(2) |
| (1) Staff numbers include all permanent and fixed term employed staff shown as full time equivalent (FTE) (2) Costs include salaries, employer national insurance contributions, superannuation, social security costs, and early retirement/severance expenditure. Note: Information has been taken from the 2008-09 Annual Report | ||
Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
The following table summarises staff in post, expressed as full-time equivalents, for each relevant grade. It also shows the total pay by grade for the month of December 2009 and the average cost per grade for the same.
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| Grade | FTEs as at 31 December 2009 | Pay by grade for December, 2009 (inc ERs Pension and NIC) (£) | Average pay cost by grade for December, 2009 (£) |
Veterinary Laboratories Agency
The following table summarises the number of staff by grade, expressed as full-time equivalents, and the salary and associated costs for the 2008-09 financial year for each grade. Costs include overtime, sale of annual leave and bonus payments.
| Pay band | Headcount by pay band FTE | Salary and associated costs 2008-09 FY (£) |
Food and Environment Research Agency
The following table summarises non-SCS staff in post as at 31 December 2009, expressed as full time equivalents. It also shows the average paybill cost for an individual in each grade. Paybill costs include salary, employer's national insurance contributions and employer's superannuation payments.
| Grade | FTE in post as at 31 December 2009 | Average paybill cost (£) |
Feltham
Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Feltham and Heston constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997. [316676]
Dan Norris: Due to the broad nature of the question and the wide range of DEFRA policies implemented in Feltham and Heston, which falls under Hounslow council, it is not possible to provide a detailed answer in the form requested.
As a local authority, Hounslow is obliged through statute to comply with central Government legislation. DEFRA's policy responsibilities are summarised in its departmental strategic objectives (DSOs) that have been agreed with the Treasury:
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To promote a society that is adapting to the effects of climate change, through a national programme of action and a contribution to international action.
To promote a healthy, resilient, productive and diverse natural environment.
To promote sustainable, low carbon and resource efficient patterns of consumption and production.
To promote an economy and a society that are resilient to environmental risk.
To champion sustainable development.
To promote a thriving farming and food sector with an improving net environmental impact.
To encourage a sustainable, secure and healthy food supply.
To provide socially and economically sustainable rural communities.
To be a respected Department delivering efficient and high quality services and outcomes.
DEFRA publishes annual departmental reports which set out progress against its public service agreement targets and DSOs. The 2009 report is available at:
www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/how/deprep/2009-report.htm
Past reports are available online in the National Archives.
For information on a specific DEFRA policy in Hounslow, the Government Office for London is able to provide information on implementation and the benefits to the area.
Floods: Cumbria
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding has been made available to clear debris and polluted material from farmland following the 2009 floods in Cumbria; and if he will make a statement. [316539]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has made £500,000 from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) available to farmers affected by the Cumbrian floods, to help bring their land back to agricultural use. This will provide up to £6,800 per applicant and is being delivered by the RDPE Local Action Groups. The deadline for applications for this funding has been extended until 26 February 2010.
Hotels
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on hotel accommodation for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials of his Department in each of the last five years. [305663]
Dan Norris: A centralised booking service contract was introduced in the core department in late 2006-07, from which the information stated has been taken and therefore only covers the period January to March 2007 of the 2006-07 year. Information prior to this date and hotel accommodation used but not reserved through the central booking service contract could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
|
| £ |
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Information on the split of hotel expenditure between Ministers, special advisers and civil servants could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Travel by Ministers and special advisers, and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively. The Cabinet Office produces annual lists of overseas trips undertaken by Ministers costing over £500.