§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about management policy for monuments owned by his Department in the light of the unwillingness of staff to work on public holidays when demand for public access is at its greatest; and if he will consider sub-contracting the running of some of these monuments to bodies willing and able to provide a public service.
§ Mr. MonroMonuments are in general open on summer public holidays, except for May Day bank holiday. Custodians are not required by their terms of service to work that day. The Civil Service Union did not agree to its members working, despite the generous terms we offered. We shall again seek to open next year. We are exploring the idea of sub-contracting with a re-assessment of management policy for monuments.