§ Mr. Joplingasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the towns in England and Wales where his offices were shut on New Years' Day; which of them have begun a practice of closing on New Year's Day during the last four years; and which offices had a third day's holiday during Christmas week.
§ Mr. John MackieIn general, my Department's offices were closed on the 25th, 26th and 27th December. But certain offices in the North of England followed local custom and closed on New Year's Day instead of the 27th December. The offices concerned were at: Alnwick, Durham, Hexham, Longbenton, Newcastle, and North Shields, the last three having adopted the practice during the last four years.