936 Deputy George Lee asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of civil service staff in his Department; the number of these staff who hold an economics degree; the number of these staff who hold a postgraduate economics degree; the number of these staff who hold a PhD in economics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48306/09]

There were 3,808 full time equivalent civil service staff in my Department at end December 2009. While the Department does not have a comprehensive register of staff qualifications at this time, a project to verify and update all information held on the Department's HRMS (Human Resources Management System) has recently commenced. The establishment of such a register will form part of this overall process.