Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a specialist beekeeper has been employed to supervise the hives on the roof of Nobel House.

Two beehives were installed on the rooftops of Nobel House on 3 November 2014. Honey production is dependent on the season’s weather conditions. Generally a single hive can be expected to produce a minimum of 25 kg of honey per year. As we are entering the winter period, the Nobel House beehives will not produce honey until summer 2015.

The beehives are managed by a skilled bee farmer, who is a member of the Bee Farmers’ Association. He is aided by an apprentice, who is part of the Defra co-funded Beekeeping Apprenticeship scheme.