HC Deb 28 February 1977 vol 927 cc17-8
14. Mr. Tebbit

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will issue clearer guidelines to public corporations concerning the purchase of British or imported products.

Mr. Les Huckfield

>My right hon. Friend sees no need to do so.

Mr. Tebbit

When the Secretary of State's advice to buy British conflicts with the financial objectives laid on public corporations, will the hon. Gentleman make it plain whether those objectives are in any way waived? Why does the Secretary of State use the term "British made" when he is unable to define what "British made" means? For example, is a British motor car more British if it is assembled in Britain by an American-owned company from components made in Europe, or if it is assembled in Europe from components made in Britain by a British-owned company?

Mr. Huckfield

In his customary fashion the hon. Gentleman has tabled a series of Questions on this issue which, frankly, try to cloud the whole matter in semantics. My right hon. Friend was expressing an opinion with which I wholeheartedly agree. In expressing that opinion he took account of the need for nationalised industries to do their best to see best value for money and he took account of their international obligations. The hon. Gentleman does not serve the public sector and does not serve British industry by the sort of Questions that he is tabling.

Mr. Ioan Evans

Does not my hon. Friend realise that the TUC is yet again calling on the Government to introduce selective import controls? Before the Government decide to introduce such controls, will he give preference to the policy of buying British on all occasions? In that way cannot the public corporations give an example to the rest of British industry, because the more we buy British the greater will be our employment prospects?

Mr. Huckfield

I take careful note of what my hon. Friend said. I recognise that there is a great deal of truth in the view of the trade union and Labour movement on this topic. If we examine the 24th Report of the Select Committee on European Secondary Legislation, ordered to be printed on 16th June last year, we see that it was then said that 95 per cent. of public purchasing in the United Kingdom was with United Kingdom industry; the average percentage for nationalised industry was higher than the figure for the public sector as a whole.

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