HC Deb 10 April 1978 vol 947 cc952-4
4. Mr. Tim Renton

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he next expects to meet the chairman of the National Enterprise Board.

5. Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he next plans to meet the chairman of the National Enterprise Board.

The Minister of State, Department of Industry (Mr. Gerald Kaufman)

I expect to meet the chairman very shortly. We are in frequent touch.

Mr. Renton

Anticipating the Minister's next meeting with the chairman of the NEB, will the hon. Gentleman tell the House what is the NEB's current investment policy, since it does not appear to have one? How many of the 22 companies in which the NEB invested last year are now making the adequate return on capital to which the NEB is statutorily committed?

Mr. Kaufman

All these matters are open for debate later in the day. When I meet the chairman of the NEB I shall be able to discuss with him the NEB investment in a company in which the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Renton) has a constituency interest, Thwaites and Reed, which looks after Big Ben. I am glad that the NEB is helping to keep the hon. Gentleman on time.

Mr. Rooker

Will my hon. Friend have a word with the chairman of the NEB when he next meets him about the recent appointment of Mr. John Williams of Lucas Industries to the NEB to oversee British Leyland, although this man is on public record as being opposed to public enterprise? Will he also draw the attention of the chairman to the fact that, contary to paragraph 11.11 in the NEB's report to this House on British Leyland, it is not the Government who authorise money to British Leyland but this House?

Mr. Kaufman

My hon. Friend is perfectly right about that. I hope that all hon. Members will realise the importance of voting the extra £300 million to British industry when we debate this matter later today.

Mr. Rooker

What about the first part of my supplementary question?

Mr. Speaker

Order. This subject will be debated later today.

Later—

Mr. Renton

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In answer to my Question No. 4 the Minister of State made great play of the fact that the National Enterprise Board was giving assistance to a firm called Thwaites and Reed which, he said, was in my constituency and which is, among other things, clockmaker and mender of Big Ben. I have checked with the NEB, but both of its information officers are in the House of Commons. Thwaites and Reed tells me that its only office and factory in Sussex is at St. Leonards-on-Sea, about 25 miles from my constituency. I have come to realise that the Minister relies more—

Mr. Speaker

Order. I ask the hon. Gentleman to make the point of order on which he is asking me to rule.

Mr. Renton

I should like you, Mr. Speaker, to ask the Minister of State to withdraw his comment about the factory being in my constituency, because it is not. I ask him to give me an answer to my question.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member knows that, if I tried to tell Ministers to withdraw answers, or, indeed, the Opposition to withdraw questions, I should be in even greater difficulty than I am at present.