Mr. A. Cecil Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why a privately owned company can have facilities granted by the Eastern Health and Social Services Board to promote insurance and building society activities, and can have deductions made from salaries and wages of employees at the board's expense; and why the same facilities were not offered on a competitive basis to other such companies.
§ Mr. Chris Patten[pursuant to his reply, 25 June 1984, c. 344]: Facilities granted by the Eastern Health and Social Services Board for the promotion of insurance and building society activities are at the request of approved staff associations which may negotiate favourable terms for their members who are employees of the board. Similarly, deductions from salaries or wages in respect of such arrangements are made at the employee's request to the staff association concerned. It is the staff association, not the board, which is responsible for the initiation of such arrangements.