HC Deb 17 January 1984 vol 52 cc149-50
5. Mrs. Dunwoody

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans for the sale of Alsager royal ordnance factory.

The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Mr. Geoffrey Pattie)

We have at present no plans for the sale of ROF Radway Green, Alsager. As I said in the House yesterday, we shall be considering carefully the best means of privatising the royal ordnance factories either as a group or in parts.

Mrs. Dunwoody

As that particular ordnance factory has contributed more than £194 million in sales for the taxpayer in the past 10 years. will the Minister tell the House what safeguards are to be built in to ensure that if the factory is sold he will know who holds the shares, as it is painfully obvious that no safeguards are envisaged by the Government and that any foreign national whatever could hold controlling shares through a second or third company?

Mr. Pattie

The safeguards will be the same as those adopted for other forms of privatisation carried out by the Government and will no doubt be enshrined in the articles of association of the new company.