To ask the Secretary of State for Health (a) how many staff are employed and (b) what the total budget in 2003–04 is for the (i) Commission for Health Improvement, (ii) National Institute for Clinical Excellence, (iii) Food Standards Agency, (iv) National Care Standards Commission, (v) General Social Care Council and (vi) Health and Safety Executive. [128332]
The Health and Safety Executive is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions. The other information requested is shown in the following table:
| Body | Number of stuff | Total budget for 2003–04 (£ million) |
| Commission for Health Improvement | 347 | 35 |
| National Institute for Clinical Excellence | 43 | 17.8 |
| Foods Standards Agency | 738 | 119 |
| Meat Hygiene Service | 1,597 | 28 |
| National Care Standards Commission | 2,400 | 133.3 |
| General Social Care Council | 115 | 52.6 |
Notes:
(i) The staff numbers are the latest available figures expressed as whole-time equivalents
(ii) The Total Budgets shown are estimated plan forecasts.
(iii) The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is a non-Ministerial Department, governed by a Board, and accountable to Parliament and the devolved administrations through Health Ministers. The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) is an executive agency of FSA.)
(iv) The total budget of the FSA includes £8.277 million from the devolved administrations and payments to the MHS in respect of specified risk material (SRM)
(v) FSA staff figures are on a UK basis and include all workers (eg temporary contract workers).
also provides grants to families of severely disabled children in order to ease the stress of their day-to-day life.