To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of staff in his Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension.

Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) can pay additional contributions to top up their pension either through the Civil Service Additional Voluntary Contributions Scheme (CSAVCS), a money purchase arrangement, or by buying added years of service in the PCSPS. As an alternative to membership of the PCSPS recruits from 1 October 2002 have been able to join a stakeholder arrangement, the partnership pension account.

The number and percentage of staff in the department who are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension as at 31 May 2006 are shown in the table.

These figures, taken from the DEFRA payroll also include agency staff in the: Pesticides Safety Directorate, State Veterinary Service, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine Fisheries Agency and Government Decontamination Service.