Business Links (Hansard, 12 January 1994)

§ 9. Mr. Lidington
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the progress of the business links initiative.

§ Mr. Neil Hamilton
I refer my hon. Friend to the brilliant answer given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade a moment ago.

§ Mr. Lidington
When my hon. Friend considers the next batch of business links bids to come before his Department, will he give careful and sympathetic attention to the bid from Thames Valley Enterprise which has set up business links in Aylesbury, Reading and Slough that will be of considerable benefit to people in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and south Oxfordshire with the full backing of Buckinghamshire county council and the Thames Valley chamber of commerce and industry?

§ Mr. Hamilton
A proposal from the Thames Valley partnership which covers my hon. Friend's constituency was accepted by the November assessment panel and those business links are due to open in May and June 1994 in Slough, Reading and Aylesbury. I commend my hon. Friend's support for the initiative.

§ Mr. Flynn
Will the Minister also be aware of the danger of supporting any business enterprise that seeks to build on the popularity of the royal family? Will he bear in mind the failure of that enterprise and the loss of £7 million, including £200,000 of taxpayers' money? I hope that, with his fellow Ministers, he will take steps to ensure that that money is returned to the public purse.

§ Mr. Hamilton
I do not know whether it was clear to my hon. Friends what the hon. Gentleman was rambling on about, but it was not clear to me.