§ Mr. CabornTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if his Department has received any request for guidance from, or supplied any advice to, RTZ plc concerning the Government's voluntary ban on new investment in South Africa, in the light of RTZ's recent acquisition of BP's mineral division.
§ Mr. Alan Clark[holding answer 9 February 1989]: Contacts between this Department and United Kingdom companies are treated as commercial-in-confidence. The Office of Fair Trading is at an early stage in its consideration of the RTZ corporation's proposed acquisition of certain of BP's mineral interests and will report to the Secretary of State in due course.