Written question asked by Brian Iddon (Labour) on Tuesday, 31 January 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 February 2006. It was answered by Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 July 2006 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Civil Service Secondees

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people from science and technology backgrounds have been seconded into the civil service in his Department in each of the last three years.

Answer: The DTI has had and continues to have people seconded who have science and technology backgrounds. Where an S and T background is an essential requirement for a secondment we will take the appropriate steps to check the applicant’s qualifications.The DTI has had a number of people seconded from science and technology backgrounds in the last three years, although we do not hold this information centrally. As the Department dedicated to maximising the contribution of the science and technology fields to the UK’s economic development—and the quality of our lives—we are delighted to have such expertise within the DTI.

Secondary information