§ 31. Mr. Redmondasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue a general direction to British Rail to ensure that all its subsidiaries include in their annual reports particulars of the profit or loss made on their trading with outside persons.
§ Mr. PeytonNo, Sir. The British Railways Board already publishes very full information about the profit and loss of its ancillary activities.
§ Mr. RedmondI thank the Minister for that statement. Would he look at the 1970 accounts of British Rail Engineering Ltd., which appears to have made only a small marginal profit on container manufacturing activities in so far as they concern sales to outside bodies? Would he confirm this and investigate the matter with a view possibly to introducing fair competition by hiving off these activities to private enterprise?
§ Mr. PeytonI looked at the particular contract to which my hon. Friend refers. I considered that it would be wrong to interfere with something which was a commercial enterprise already in operation and on which money had been spent. It is a little too early to make a judgment on this point.