Baroness WARD of NORTH TYNESIDEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is still their policy to support employment for Tyneside and if so why, when a contract was ready for signature for the building of a university in Saudi Arabia, which would have given employment to a Tyneside engineering firm, it was interfered with in such a way as to send the contract to the USA.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, it remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government to support employment for Tyneside. It is an overstatement to say that a contract for the building of the university was ready for signature at the time when the Government initiated the formation of a team to make proposals for the implementation of the whole project; the project was then still at an early stage. The Government's action was taken in response to approaches from several United Kingdom firms, including the one for which the Tyneside firm had done some initial planning work for the project. Eventually, the Saudi authorities decided to hold a limited competition between three selected firms of architects. An American firm won the contract for the design and construction management of the university. I am glad to say that a British firm of architects is associated with them.
Baroness WARD of NORTH TYNESIDEMy Lords, I thank 566 the noble Lord for that rather unsatisfactory Answer. Is the noble Lord aware that an official flew out to Saudi Arabia with the contract for signature? I have all the papers in my hands. Is the noble Lord aware that we in the North of England shall not be satisfied until we really know who interfered with this contract and why this interference took place? Is the noble Lord also aware that a letter which I received from Mr. Clinton Davis did not give any information at all, and that there is a real feeling that somewhere bribery took place? I accept, of course, that all sides of the House are in favour of maintaining employment in all areas in which there is unemployment. Will the noble Lord ask the Prime Minister whether he will initiate a proper inquiry, so that those who are concerned can see what happened and who offered bribes in connection with this contract?
Lord WJNTERBOTTOMMy Lords, I led that delegation, so perhaps I am as well informed about it as anyone. There was no interference at any point. Her Majesty's Government made proposals. At the end of the day, the Saudi Government made their decision, and I am not here to speak for the Saudi Government.