To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department and each of its agencies; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available. (312826)

The information is as follows:

Core DEFRA (including Animal Health, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the Marine Fisheries Agency)

The following table shows the number of staff at those grades which hold line management responsibility as at 31 December 2009, expressed as full-time equivalents, along with the average annual pay costs for each grade for a single individual. Pay costs include salary, allowances, non-consolidated performance related variable pay, National Insurance contributions and superannuation charges. Further associated employment costs are only available at disproportionate cost. Staff numbers include permanent and fixed-term appointments.

Senior Civil Service figures shown include staff in the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) and the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA).

Rural Payment Agency

RPA has seven layers of management from the SCS (Director) level to Executive Office (EO). In the 2008-09 financial year this equated to 1,622.55 people (FTE).

The amount spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff in each management layer below the SCS are shown in the following table:

Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science

The following table summarises staff in post, expressed as full-time equivalents, for each relevant grade. It also shows the total pay by grade for the month of December 2009 and the average cost per grade for the same.

Veterinary Laboratories Agency

The following table summarises the number of staff by grade, expressed as full-time equivalents, and the salary and associated costs for the 2008-09 financial year for each grade. Costs include overtime, sale of annual leave and bonus payments.

Food and Environment Research Agency

The following table summarises non-SCS staff in post as at 31 December 2009, expressed as full time equivalents. It also shows the average paybill cost for an individual in each grade. Paybill costs include salary, employer's national insurance contributions and employer's superannuation payments.