HC Deb 14 February 1984 vol 54 cc149-50W
Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish in the Official Report the latest annual figures collected by the safety research unit of the consumer safety section of his Department on the number of persons who received treatment in accident and emergency departments of hospitals in consequence of their throats or digestive tracts being blocked or otherwise impaired by each of the following foreign bodies: (a) bones, (b) money, (c) toys, (d) meat and poultry, (e) nails

receipts of £10.6 million in respect of premiums and recoveries. This gives a net cost of £31.6 million to date, but of course these figures take no account of the wider economic or social benefits of the scheme, nor do they reflect the fact that surviving businesses will generate premium income throughout the remaining period of their loans.

Mr. du Cann

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is his intention that, under the loan guarantee scheme, banks should not be allowed to link loans under the scheme with a new bank facility, if by so doing any available business assets are secured wholly on the new bank facility leaving the whole of the loan guarantee money unsecured.

Mr. Trippier

In general the security arrangements do not allow new bank facilities issued after a scheme loan to have priority ranking for security purposes. The security position can be complex in some cases, but usually the scheme loan and subsequent conventional bank lending will rank pari passu. The impact and effectiveness of the present security arrangements are being considered as part of my current review of the scheme.