HC Deb 14 February 1977 vol 926 c98W
Mr. Charles Irving

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider selective curbs on foreign purchases of fixed assets in the United Kingdom during periods of rapid devaluation.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

Whale meat change control rules ensure that the price paid by a non-resident when buying into any United Kingdom company is fair and reasonable. A declining exchange rate will affect the foreign currency cost of purchasing sterling securities, as indeed will fluctuations in the sterling market price of the securities themselves. But so long as the purchase is acceptable in all other respects there seems at present no reason to intervene selectively between a willing seller and a willing purchaser.

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