To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to his oral answer of 22 November 2007, Official Report, column 1328, on postal services, what precedents there are for consultations to be suspended in advance of local elections. (168702)

[holding answer 27 November 2007]: Cabinet Office guidelines clearly state that consultations, and decisions relating to them, should not be launched in an election period. Successive Administrations of both parties have observed these arrangements for many years.