§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the names of the participating banks interviewed during his review of the loan guarantee scheme.
§ Mr. MacGregorMy consultations with the banks participating in the loan guarantee scheme are not yet completed, but by the end of the review I will have discussed the scheme with representatives of Barclays Bank, Lloyds Bank, Midland Bank, National Westminster Bank, Williams and Glyn's Bank, the Co-operative Bank, Yorkshire Bank, Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation, Hill Samuel, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, United Dominions Trust and the Scottish clearing banks. Most of the others banks participating in the Scheme have limited experience of its operation. I believe that the banks I have consulted provide a wide and representative cross-section.
§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Secretary of State for Industry whether the telephone interviews with borrowers, which formed part of his review of the loan guarantee scheme, were carried out by officials of his Department or by outside consultants.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe telephone interviews were carried out by Department of Industry economists, who have considerable experience in this field. A full report setting out how the survey was conducted, and its findings, will be placed in the Library shortly. A summary of the results of the survey is already available. I am considering using outside consultants as well for the next stage.