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Turkey (Military Equipment)

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what export credits have been made to Turkey in each of the last three years for the sale of military equipment to Turkey; and if she will make a statement. [17859]

Mrs. Roche [holding answer 26 November 1997]: From data readily available, the information that my hon. Friend requests is as follows:

£ million
1994-9590
1995-96268
1996-97none
1997-98 (to October 1997)none

These figures include all ECGD supported business with defence buyers in Turkey, including sales of non-lethal equipment.

Post Office Closures

Mr. Cox: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the policy of her Department in respect of the closure of (a) main and (b) sub-post offices. [18163]

Mr. Ian McCartney: The Government are committed to the maintenance of a nationwide network of post offices. We cannot guarantee that no post office will ever close or relocate for operational or other reasons, as over 95 per cent. of the network is made up of small businesses. At my request, the Post Office, in May, suspended its programme of converting Crown post offices to agency status until the review of the Post Office is complete and we are in a position to make informed decisions.

Employment Appeal Tribunal

Mr. Dismore: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many appeals there have been to the Employment Appeal Tribunal where the applicant did not have two years' continuous employment prior to dismissal; how many of these cases have been (i) stayed and (ii) struck out by industrial tribunals subsequent to the case of Seymour-Smith and Perez; and for (i) and (ii) what are the figures by industrial tribunal region. [18327]

Mr. Ian McCartney: Since the decision in the case of R v. Secretary of State for Employment ex parte

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Seymour-Smith and Perez was referred to the European Court of Justice, 182 cases have been stayed at the Employment Appeal Tribunal. The Chief Executive of the Employment Tribunals Service informs me that the industrial tribunal offices do not record separately cases that have been struck out or stayed because the applicant could not demonstrate two years' continuous service.

Duty Free Trade

Mr. Gale: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions she has had with Treasury ministers in respect of obtaining from the European Union a material damage derogation to permit the cross-Channel duty-free trade to continue in perpetuity. [18060]

Mr. Ian McCartney [holding answer 27 November 1997]: None. The decision to allow intra-EU duty free sales to continue until 30 June 1999 was taken by the Council of Finance Ministers in 1991 so as to allow the economic sectors concerned time in which to adapt gradually to the new situation.

Coal

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will require coal to be the main fuel for base load generating stations. [16438]

Mr. Battle: The choice of baseload generation should be determined on the basis of cost as assessed in a market which is fair. In the review of the Electricity Trading Arrangements (including the Pool), which I announced on 23 October 1997, the Government will examine whether the market is tilted against coal, and, if so, what changes are needed to level the playing field.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to her answer of 11 July 1997, Official Report, column 646, how many (a) customers and (b) others were sent the letter regarding the Export Credits Guarantee Department's policy on disclosure of business information; what were the results of the Export Credits Guarantee Department's consultation exercise; and if the Export Credits Guarantee Department has drawn up new guidelines on the disclosure of information. [15621]

Mrs. Roche: ECGD's letter was sent to 11 exporters, 11 banks and five trade associations. A number of other Government Departments were also consulted. It emerged that while some customers were generally content with ECGD's guideline proposals, there was still a serious concern that the confidential nature of their business relationship with ECGD should be maintained. No new guidelines have since been drawn up by ECGD and it would be premature for work on this to be completed in advance of the publication of the Government's White Paper on freedom of information. ECGD is currently abiding by the spirit of the Open Government Code of Practise on Access to Government Information which encourages information to be disclosed unless it is judged that, on a case by case basis, such disclosure would be

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harmful either to the competitive position of a company or the work of ECGD as insurer.

Departmental Information

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will place in the Library a copy of the internal departmental guidance on the dissemination of information; and if she will make a statement. [16310]

Mr. Nigel Griffiths: My Department provides a considerable amount of internal guidance to staff on administering the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. This includes guidance on the proactive dissemination of information as required by the Code. I will be placing copies of my Department's general internal guidance on the Code of Practice in the Library of the House.

SCOTLAND

Scottish Office

Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make available the study of the impact on traffic of moving a large part of the Scottish Office from New St. Andrew's House to Victoria Quay. [17626]

Mr. Dewar: Research was conducted prior to the move of Scottish Office staff to Victoria Quay into the travel to work intentions of these staff. A summary of the research report "Future Travel to Work Patterns of Scottish Office Staff--Relocation to Victoria Quay", drawn up in 1995, has been placed in the Library of the House. A copy of the full report is available on loan from my Department's library at Victoria Quay.

Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to move Ministers' offices from St. Andrew's House to the Scottish Office building at Victoria Quay. [17627]

Mr. McLeish: The issue of future accommodation arrangements for Scottish Office Ministers will be addressed when a decision on the site of the Scottish Parliament building has been taken. Ministers regularly use accommodation at Victoria Quay at present.

Scottish Parliament

Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those organisations which have expressed to the Scottish Office their views on where the Scottish Parliament should be sited, indicating which support (a) Leith, (b) Calton Hill, (c) Haymarket and (d) a city centre site. [17628]

Mr. McLeish: We have received letters from the following:








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Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many individual representations the Scottish Office has received, (a) from residents in Edinburgh and (b) from those living elsewhere in Scotland, on the proposed site

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for the Scottish Parliament; and how many have supported (i) each of the three specific sites and (ii) a city centre site. [17629]

Mr. McLeish: A total of 150 representations have been received, of which 91 have come from people living in Edinburgh and 59 from people who live elsewhere in Scotland. 44 of these representations were in support of a city centre location but did not mention any preferred site. The remainder supported the following:

Number
Calton Hill/Regent Road89
Leith11
Haymarket6

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