§ Mr. GaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements he has made to notify(a) the Home Office, (b) the DTI, (c) the CBI and (d) the Library that Friday 31 December 1999 will be a public holiday. [63708]
§ Mr. Chris Smith[holding answer 15 December 1998]: The Government Departments referred to, and the CBI, were among the many organisations included in a consultation exercise carried out by my Department early this year, in order to establish that the proposal for an additional Bank Holiday on 31 December 199 was widely supported. The additional holiday was announced in the House on 3 June 1998, Official Report, column 218, and a press notice was issued on the same day. This was copied to interested Government Departments, and the announcement was widely covered in the media.
HM Nautical Almanac Office holds definitive information on public holidays, and provides an information service based at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.