§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many ministerial announcements have not been made in the first instance to the House; and of those how many were(a) speeches to outside bodies, (b) press releases, (c) press briefings and (d) made by other means, since 1 May; and if he will make a statement about his Department's policy in respect of making public ministerial announcements. [18889]
§ Mr. Robin Cook[holding answer 3 December 1997]: Since 1 May, this Department has made some 90 announcements by press release, including ones relating to public speeches. All major announcements are made to Parliament when it is sitting, either by oral statement or written answer first. These include the review of arms export licensing criteria, the restoration of trade union rights to GCHQ staff, and the ending of financial support for trade missions to Burma. Press briefings are usually held to give further explanation to announcements, after they have been made.