Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2017 to Question 109732, for what reasons there is a disparity between reference to discussions occurring with recognised trade unions throughout the year in the text of that Answer and the lack of recorded meetings in the documents provided in links to that Answer.

The discussions referred to in the original response which take place throughout the year are conducted by departmental officials. The significant majority of these meetings are with trade union representatives who are employees of the Department and who act as workplace trade union representatives under the relevant provisions of employment law and civil service and departmental policies. Some of these meetings will involve national trade union officials. All such meetings will relate to internal departmental employee relations matters, as set out in our employee relations framework.

If Ministers were to meet trade union representatives or officials then the relevant provisions for recording such meetings would be followed.