§ 32. Sir Anthony Meyerasked the Secretary of State for Industry whether Her Majesty's Government will press for the establishment of a European public procurement agency to which all Community States could subscribe, for the more effective use of Government's purchasing power in order to sustain a high technology and industrial base.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinThe effective use of public purchasing has a vital role to play in encouraging innovation in high technology industries. The commission has tabled a communication on industrial policy which, among other things, canvasses the idea of a European public procurement agency. While I am prepared to study this, I am not convinced that it is the best way forward at the present time.