§ Mr. Skeetasked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will conduct an inquiry into the strike record of Her Majesty's Stationery Office to avoid the disruption caused and the additional expense involved and consider whether printing in premises other than St. Stephen's Parliamentary Press should be considered in the national interest.
§ Mr. ChannonI am at present reviewing with the Controller the printing arrangements of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. There are complex issues involved and I am not yet in a position to reach conclusions.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Minister for the Civil Service how many separate strikes, work to rule, overtime bans and so on have occurred in the several branches of Her Majesty's Stationery Office in 1978 and to date in 1979; and what is the total number of working days involved in each year.
§ Mr. ChannonThe number of strikes, works to rule and overtime bans which Her Majesty's Stationery Office has suffered are 20 in 1978 and 15 in 1979 to mid-July. The recorded man/days lost in these periods are 7,603 and 5,937 respectively.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Minister for the Civil Service what has been the total extra cost to date incurred by his Department as a result of the present industrial action of Her Majesty's Stationery Office affecting the House.
§ Mr. ChannonNo extra cost to date has been incurred by Her Majesty's Stationery Office as a result of the present industrial action as it affects the House of Commons.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the total staff in Her Majesty's Stationery Office, the total weekly salary bill of those involved in the current dispute and an estimate of the cost of overtime required to complete the printing of the material deferred.
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§ Mr. ChannonThe total staff m Her Majesty's Stationery Office as at 1 July 1979 was 6,698. The total weekly salary bill of those staff involved in the current dispute with the Institution of Professional Civil Servants is about £30,000. When normal working is resumed, priority requirements will be assessed in relation to production capacity available.