§ Mr. Michael Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what consultation there has been with exporters about the transfer of the Export Credits Guarantee Department offices to Cardiff;
(2) what will be the extent of the Export Credits Guarantee Department office in London in the future;
(3) what consultation there has been with the Chamber of Commerce about the transfer of the Export Credits Guarantee Department office to Cardiff.
§ Mr. MeacherThe move of part of the Export Credits Guarantee Department to Cardiff in 1979–80 arises from the Hardman Report of 1973 which, as announced in 1974 and reaffirmed by successive Governments, was accepted as a general programme for dispersing about 30,000 Civil Service posts. By an exhaustive survey analysing face-to-face contacts between officials and the public, the Hardman Report identified the parts of each London-based Government Department, including ECGD, which could function satisfactorily away from London; suggestions for dispersing the same part of ECGD figured earlier in the Scholey Report of 1972 (HMSO 1972) which followed discussions with exporters, banks, the London Chamber of Commerce, the British Export Houses Association and the CBI.
As indicated since 1974 in ECGD's publicity and in meetings with these bodies, the 800 or so Cardiff-bound posts in ECGD handle all claims work, together with credit insurance under comprehensive guarantees for exports of raw materials, consumer goods and standard engineering and production equipment. Day-to-day dealings with the 10,000 firms concerned, more than two-thirds of which are located outside London and the South-East, already concentrate on ECGD's 10 regional offices to which work has been and is increasingly being de 572W centralised. About 900 posts will remain in London, including ECGD's three London regional offices, the General Policy Division and the Project Underwriting Divisions.
ECGD's dispersal was discussed extensively at a meeting last September between ECGD and the London Chamber of Commerce and the British Export Houses Association. The latter were invited to return to ECGD after further consultation with their members, but have not yet done so. ECGD is always ready to examine the implications of dispersal with any exporter or trade association.