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Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

Answer

Mr. Charles Clarke: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answers of 5 March 1998, Official Report, column 728, 31 March 1998, Official Report, column 506 and 7 April 1998, Official Report, column 216, what assessment he has made of the discrepancy between the proportion of scientific staff who transferred from Torry, Aberdeen to York and the proportion of all staff in mobile grades which have transferred to York. [39001] Mr. Rooker: [holding answer 20 April 1998]: The circumstances of the closure of the Torry laboratory differ from those of the major relocation exercise to occupy the new Central Science Laboratory (CSL) at Sand Hutton, York. With the closure of the Torry laboratory, funding for work which was of particular relevance to Scotland was transferred to the Scottish Office and work programmes and associated staff were transferred to the Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen University and the Scottish Office Marine Laboratory. There was no such transfer of funding or staff for the work that was relocated to York from a number of CSL sites, including Slough, Worplesdon and Harpenden.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

311 c248W; 39001

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Closures Civil servants Location Staff York Aberdeen Government laboratories Central Science Laboratory Scientists