§ Lord HATCH of LUSBYMy 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 they approve the opening of the Zambian Engineering Services' office in Ashford, Kent, and whether they will encourage further such third world investment in Britain.
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, the Government most certainly welcomed the opening of the Zambian Engineering Services' new headquarters in Ashford, Kent, on 5th June, and the capital investment that that enterprise represents. The Government will continue to encourage foreign investment in Britain.
§ Lord HATCH of LUSBYMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that Answer, may I ask him to be very careful in what he says about this question, because I do not know whether he knows but the Zambian Engineering Services is part of a nationalised industry in Zambia, and I would hate him to get into trouble with either his masters or his mistress over this issue. In view of the fact that this service is employing 230 British workers, may I ask him whether he would agree that it would be a very good idea for British firms and British nationalised industries to create further links with industries in the third world, in order to assist them, in particular, in processing the raw materials which are extracted from their countries?
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, that is a most interesting supplementary 1760 question but it does not arise from the Question on the Order Paper.
§ Lord HATCH of LUSBYMy Lords, I am asking whether the Government agree that it would be a good idea to encourage British firms to pursue the same line in third world countries as the Zambians have in this country. Would it not be an assistance, both for British industry and for the development of world trade, if British firms and British nationalised industries linked up with firms of this kind, Zambian Engineering Services, in joint ventures, particularly for the processing of raw materials in third world countries?
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, the Question on the Order Paper refers to third world investment in Britain, not British investment in the third world.