§ Q12. Mr. Ian Lloydasked the Prime-Minister what steps he has taken to ensure that Ministers responsible for nationalised industries have informed the industries for which they are respectively responsible of the effect of the European Free Trade Association rules on their purchasing and other policies.
§ The Prime MinisterAll public purchasing authorities in the United Kingdom have been kept informed of the obligations arising for them under the European Free Trade Area Convention. In 1966 a European Free Trade Area Report was prepared, which set out in detail the requirements arising from Article 14 of the Convention for the purchasing and trading activities of all public authorities in Member States. This was made available to all Departments responsible for the nationalised industries. They in turn informed the industries of the requirements of the Convention and each industry has subsequently notified the Government that its practices are in conformity with the Article.