To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many senior departmental posts were advertised in each year since June 1999; and how many of these were advertised in the Scottish press. [120663]

The information is as follows:(a) Since the formation of Defra the following senior departmental posts were advertised in each year as follows:

	Number
From April 2003	1
April 2002 to April 2003	8
April 2001 to April 2002	7

It would incur disproportionate cost to obtain this information prior to the formation of Defra.(b) No senior departmental posts were advertised separately in the Scottish press.