National Bee Unit: Qualifications
Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Written answers and statements, 28 October 2009
John Penrose (Shadow Minister (Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform), Business; Weston-Super-Mare, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff of the National Bee Unit have qualifications in bee biology at postgraduate level or above.
Dan Norris (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Wansdyke, Labour)
The National Bee Unit (NBU) is part of the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) where approximately 150 staff comprising bee inspectors, scientists, policy specialists and other staff have an input into the bee health programme. Many of these staff have post graduate degrees in subjects related to, but not specifically in, bee biology. For bee inspectors, practical knowledge of beekeeping is an essential requirement of FERA's job specification and some Inspectors have over 30 years experience in this field.