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Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidance he issues on the categories of shops and businesses in which it is (a) appropriate and (b) inappropriate to situate post offices.      [20894]

Mr. Page: The location and ownership of its outlets is a matter for Post Office Counters Ltd.

Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many Crown post offices there were in (a) 1979, (b) 1985, (c) 1990 and (d) the last year for which figures are available.      [20895]

Mr. Page: I understand from the Post Office that the information requested is as follows:

Date                 |Number of Crown Post                     

                     |Offices                                  

---------------------------------------------------------------

31 March 1979        |1,580                                    

3 April 1985         |1,553                                    

28 March 1990        |1,339                                    

28 February 1995     |735                                      

The total number of post offices offering the full range of Post Office services is currently 1,506.

Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will ensure that Post Office guidelines about suitable outlets for agency post offices are published in the Official Report and placed in the Library.      [21026]

Mr. Page: The location and ownership of its outlets is a matter for Post Office Counters Ltd.

Trade Visit (South Africa)

Mr. Worthington: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the outcomes of the recent visit by the trade Minister to South Africa and on future plans for trade development with South Africa.      [19913]

Mr. Needham: During my visit to South Africa in March, 80 business men were involved in technical seminars on the royal yacht, on-shore business-to-business meetings and meetings with key figures in the South African Government of National Unity.

Nearly 50 of the business party travelled to Johannesburg during the middle of the week to discuss issues with the financial community and to talk to their opposite numbers in the electricity utility, Eskom, brewing conglomerate, South African Breweries, and urban regeneration planners and engineers at the Johannesburg Transitional metropolitan council.

British companies announced a series of major deals during the week which are expected to lead millions of pounds of additional business.

An Anglo-South African partnership initiative is to be established, comprising some of the most important business men in both countries, which will promote trade between the two countries. This is expected to be formally inaugurated in September, when we will be staging a major "British Week" in Johannesburg. This will feature sporting and cultural events as well as a major all-British trade exhibition under the title "Britain means Business".

HOME DEPARTMENT

Immigration Service and Police Raids

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reform the named offender procedure with regard to immigration service and police raids.      [20889]

Mr. Nicholas Baker: There are no plans to change the present policy that in all cases every reasonable effort should be made to establish the names of people whom it is suspected will be found and to check them against immigration records. Visits to private addresses will continue to be authorised only where there is good reason to suspect that an identified person is there in breach of the immigration laws. However, in relation to places of work, my right hon. and learned Friend and I have decided that in future, where there is reason to believe that efforts to enlist the co- operation of the employer would undermine the effectiveness of a planned operation, visits will be authorised where there is apparently reliable information that immigration offenders will be found.

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Column 665

Particular account will be taken of whether there is a history of the premises being used by offenders.

Closed Circuit Television

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the closed circuit television bids which were considered to be of good or very good quality.      [21024]

Mr. Maclean: The information, by police authority area, is as follows:

Avon and Somerset

Easton and St. Agnes, Bristol

Spike Island, Bristol

Clifton, Bristol

Bath

Bridgewater bus station, Somerset

Bridgewater railway station, Somerset

Nailsea, Bristol

Bedfordshire

Bedford

Cranfield University

Sandy

Cambridgeshire

Ely

Huntingdon, Ramsey, St. Ives and St. Neots

March

Peterborough

Cambridge

Wisbech

Cheshire

Chester

Congleton

Macclesfield

Neston

Northwich

Cleveland

Easterside library and Redcar library

Billingham

Thornaby

Redcar further education centre

Skippers Lane industrial estate, Langbaurgh

Mill Lane primary school, Stockton

Teesside retail park, Thornaby

Cumbria

Carlisle

Penrith

West Cumberland hospital

Derbyshire

Chesterfield

Derby

Dronfield and Killamarsh sports centres

Ilkeston

Buxton, Glossop, Chapel en le Frith, New Mills and Whaley Bridge

Long Eaton

Devon and Cornwall

Barnstaple

Bodmin

Exeter

Falmouth

South Hams hospital, Kingsbridge

Newquay

Truro, Devon

Westland upper school, Torquay

Torquay town centre

Tiverton town centre

Tiverton business centre

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Column 666

St. Austell town centre

Dorset

Boscombe town centre

Durham

Darlington centre

Durham city centre

Chester le Street town centre

Bishop Auckland town centre

Dyfed-Powys

Haverfordwest town centre

Carmarthen town centre

Essex

Laindon shopping centre

Harlow town centre

The Blackshots centre, Thurrock

Chelmsford town centre

Shenfield and Brentwood centre

Gloucestershire

Stroud town centre

Gloucester city centre

Dursley town centre

Cirencester town centre

Cheltenham town centre

Rowanfield infants and junior schools, Cheltenham

Beaufort Community School, Gloucester

Greater Manchester

Richmond Park estate, Ashton under Lyne

Bolton town centre

Mancroft avenue housing estate, Bolton

Bury town centre

Middleton town centre

Rochdale town centre

Stepping Hill general hospital, Stockport

Droylsden town centre

Denton town centre

Ashton-under-Lyne town centre

Stalybridge town centre

Tameside business development centre

Hyde town centre

Saymour Park primary school, Old Trafford

Westhoughton town centre

Wigan town centre

Marsh green, Wigan

Howe Bridge sports centre car park, Wigan

Wythenshawe hospital

Wythenshawe park

Wythenshawe town centre

Gwent

Cwmbran

Gwent-Bettsw school

Cwmbran-Croesyceilog school

Ebbw Vale-Rassau industrial estate

Hampshire

Basingstoke

Eastleigh

Gosport

Southsea-Fawcett Road shopping centre

Havant

Portsmouth-Kingston road

Portsmouth-NHS trust hospital

Portsmouth-The Mountbatten centre

Portsmouth-Commercial road

Southampton

Southsea

Hertfordshire

North Herts-Hitchen and Letchworth business park

Stevenage

Welwyn Garden city

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