§ 14. Mr. Ridleyasked the President of the Board of Trade if it is the Government's intention to provide further loan capital for the Overseas Marketing Corporation when the corporation has taken up the £400,000 for which provision has already been made.
§ Mrs. Gwyneth DunwoodyThe Overseas Marketing Corporation has made no request to the Government for any loans in excess of the originally-agreed limit of £400,000.
§ Mr. RidleyIs the hon. Lady aware that there appears to be a danger of over-provision here? If there is to be the G.E.R.U. scheme in operation, which will she back in view of the obvious discrepancy of opinion between Lord Brown and the rest of the Department about the right way to handle the matter?
§ Mrs. DunwoodyI look forward to the day when the hon. Gentleman says, " I 1233 am so glad that the Board of Trade provides so many services to our exporters that we are doing so well in so many fields." He must stop saying that as we are offering two sets of services we must be over-providing. We are doing nothing of the sort. The O.M.C. was an experiment to assist some smaller and medium-sized firms. The O.M.C. has found various opportunities which it is exploiting to the benefit of this country. I look forward to the day when the hon. Gentleman gives it the praise to which it is entitled.
Mr. HellerWould my hon. Friend draw the Opposition's attitude to the attention of the companies involved, as it would appear that if by some mischance the Opposition became the Government they would stop assistance of this kind to exporters?
§ Mrs. DunwoodyI am sure that the attitude of some Opposition Members has been carefully noted by exporters, who are working very hard in export markets. However, since the Opposition will not be the Government anyway, their attitude will not do any great harm.