HC Deb 04 April 1989 vol 150 cc101-2W
Sir Charles Morrison

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether any of his Department's

Table A
Imports at current prices (£ million)
SIC Class 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
21 Melalliferous ores extraction and preparation 686 758 733 738 628 799 837 907 716 749
22 Metal manufacluring 2,340 3,021 4,716 3,151 3,229 4,055 3,947 4,065 4,413 4,276
23 Extraction of minerals N.E.S. 1,070 1,462 1,364 991 1,031 1,427 1,435 1,544 1,789 1,674
24 Non-metallic mineral products 348 437 422 463 546 683 819 891 989 1,140
25 Chemical industry 2,757 3,462 3,302 3,818 4,430 5,331 6,542 7,034 7,311 8,358
26 Man-madc fibres 222 263 233 255 284 322 346 383 420 471
31 Metal goods N.E.S. 600 718 768 741 880 1,030 1,246 1,380 1,519 1,778
32 Mechanical engineering 3,446 3,517 3,540 3,632 4,102 4,720 5,543 6,158 6,593 7,578
33 Office machinery and data processing equipment 984 1,205 1,265 1,489 1,934 2,767 3,827 4,213 4,230 5,098
34 Electrical and electronic engineering 2,420 2,898 3,139 3,984 4,871 6,038 7,309 8,246 8,732 10,018
35 Motor vehicles and their parts 2,714 3,854 3,233 3,369 4,505 5,772 6,058 6,963 8,178 9,058
36 Other transport equipment 1,114 1,362 2,173 1,769 2,054 2,146 2,534 3,035 2,889 3,212
37 Instrument engineering 686 757 772 881 988 1,195 1,401 1,503 1,617 1,696
41–42 Food, drink and tabacco 4,372 4,918 4,626 4,979 5,548 6,095 7,013 7,294 7,666 7,951
43 Textile industry 1,520 1,739 1,608 1,865 2,026 2,439 2,927 3,192 3,400 3,831
44 Leather and leather goods 182 265 202 220 227 272 348 406 420 499
45 Footwear and clothing industries 1,052 1,417 1,442 1,662 1,758 1,909 2,358 2,488 2,715 3,114
46 Timber and wooden furniture 1,175 1,456 1,324 1,389 1,488 1,981 2,186 2,124 2,383 2,751
47 Paper, printing and publishing 1,557 1,816 1,910 2,224 2,376 2,679 3,338 3,537 3,768 4,569
48 Rubber and plastics processing 695 858 849 951 1,126 1,412 1,653 1,895 2,180 2,652
49 Other manufacturing 903 1,165 1,607 1,544 1,311 1,465 1,713 1,300 1,589 1,646

officials were in communication with (a) the police or (b) any statutory or regulatory body, prior to December 1986, with respect to the business affairs of Mr. Anthony Wheeler and Mr. Richard Savill in respect of (a) the Wessex Trust, (b) Selective Investment Brokers and (c) any other companies of which they were directors; what information his officials received concerning any of those individuals or brokers; and what action was taken in respect of them, and on what dates.

Mr. Maude

Selective Investment Brokers was a trading name used as part of the operation of the Wessex Trust, an unincorporated body. It is not the same entity as Selective Investment Brokers Ltd.

Before December 1986 my Department was in communication with the Director of Public Prosecutions about Wessex Trust and companies concerned in the affairs of the trust which included companies of which Mr. Wheeler was a director. It is not the practice to comment on the affairs of individual companies.

Persons concerned with the Wessex Trust are at present subject to criminal proceedings brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions.