§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role Mr. Jack Hart has at present in the arrangements for staff representation at Government communications headquarters, Cheltenham.
§ Mr. RifkindNone.
§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many days were lost by sickness at Government communications headquarters since 1979 to March 1984; and how many days have been lost since the latest available date.
§ Mr. RifkindThis information is not immediately available, but I will write to the hon. Member with details as soon as I can.
§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many union representatives there were at Government communications headquarters before the union ban; and how many staff association representatives there are now.
§ Mr. RifkindThere were 264 accredited union representatives at GCHQ before 1 March. A steering committee of 12 has been elected to draw up a constitution for the staff association. It will be for the staff association, when constituted, to decide how many representatives will be required.
§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the role, objectives and achievements of the staff association at Government communications headquarters; and how it is financed.
§ Mr. RifkindThese are matters for the staff association.
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§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the present structure for staff representation at Government communications headquarters, Cheltenham; if any members of the previous staff side of the Whitley council are playing any part in the staff association; how many officers the staff association has; and what are the latest figures for expenditure on the staff association.
§ Mr. RifkindI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him earlier. Some members of the steering committee, including the chairman, have previous Whitley council experience.
§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff have left Government communications headquarters for other appointments in the current year to date.
§ Mr. RifkindAccurate figures for those leaving GCHQ to take up other appointments are not available since staff are not generally required to give reasons for resignation.
§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff at Government communications headquarters, Cheltenham, and the outstations are still members of trade unions.
§ Mr. RifkindOne of the revised conditions of service at GCHQ is that staff may not be members of a national trade union. Over 98 per cent. of staff at GCHQ have accepted those conditions. Of the small percentage who have refused to accept the new conditions it is not known how many are union members.