§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to announce details of the new departmental class for scientists, engineers and technicians employed in Government communications headquarters referred to in paragraph 10 of the general note 100/84 issued to all staff at Government communications headquarters.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThey were promulgated in information notice 1/84 dated 3 February which was issued to all members of staff at Government communications headquarters affected by the recently announced measures.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how much he estimates he 693W will spend on pro rata payments to part-time staff at Government communications headquarters who agree not to belong to trades unions;
(2) what estimate he has of the total cost of paying immediately accrued Civil Service superannuation benefits to those civil servants at Government communications headquarters who have reached retirement age and refuse to express an option or to accept an alternative posting.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThe costs arising from staff responses to the new conditions of service will clearly depend on the numbers and grades of those concerned. This cannot be known until March. It is not the practice to disclose numbers of GCHQ staff and it would be equally wrong to give information from which those numbers could be deduced.
§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United States Administration have at any time expressed concern over any aspect of industrial disputes at Government communications headquarters, Cheltenham; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThe United States authorities have been concerned, as we have, about industrial action at GCHQ. But at no time have they made representations to us on the subject.
§ Dr. McDonaldasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report the occasions on which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office received representations concerning the effect of industrial disputes on the work of Government communications headquarters from the United States Administration or any of its agencies since 1979.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThere have been no such occasions.
§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out separately the approximate number of Government communications headquarters' employees at Cheltenham who are members of unions which are at present recognised for negotiating purposes there; and what percentage of employees at Government communication headquarters are members of trade unions.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweI have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Battersea (Mr. Dubs) on 8 February.—[Vol. 53, c.624.]