To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of his staff took early retirement in the last five years; at what cost; what grades of staff took early retirement; and what percentage of each grade took early retirement. (148816)

In the current financial year to date and the previous four financial years, 577 DEFRA employees have left the Department and its agencies under early retirement arrangements. The total cost to the Department of these exits was £56.820 million, including provision made at the time of each departure to meet related liabilities in future years. The following table sets out the breakdown of leavers by grade. Due to the fluctuating population of each grade at any given time figures expressing the listed totals for each grade as percentages of the totals for the Department would be unreliable.