PMQT Written Answers – 26 March 1993

Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 26th March 1993.

PRIME MINISTER:

Public Appointments

Mr. Wigley : To ask the Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure that more posts on public bodies are advertised; and if he will make it his policy to secure that the post of chairperson of each public body is advertised.

The Prime Minister : Responsibility for deciding how to fill the 40,000 ministerial appointments to public bodies rests with the individual Ministers and Departments concerned. Central guidance encourages the use of advertisement where appropriate, but it would not be cost-effective for all the 3,500 people chairing public bodies.

Security

Mr. Milburn : To ask the Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter of 3 February from the hon. Member for Darlington on security matters.

The Prime Minister : My office can find no trace of any such letter.

Pit Closures

Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Prime Minister whether he will list the membership of the ministerial and Cabinet committees which have considered the future of the coal industry and the pit closures.

The Prime Minister : The terms of reference of all ministerial committees of the Cabinet were given in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Hayes) on 19 May 1992 at columns 110-18 and my subsequent reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Windsor and Maidenhead (Mr. Trend) on 1 February 1993 at columns 46-47. I do not propose to give details of the topics discussed by individual committees or their procedures.