§ Mr. LawsonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing, for each year from 1979 to 1990 inclusive,(a) overseas investment in the United Kingdom, (b) overseas investment in the rest of the European Community taken together and (c) overseas investment in the United Kingdom as a percentage of overseas investment in the European Community as a whole, all figures to be based on OECD statistics, adjusted as necessary.
§ Mr. Norman Lamont[holding answer 19 March 1991]: The following table sets out the latest readily available comprehensive figures published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on direct investment in, and transactions in the portfolio investment liabilities of, the countries of the European Community. There are differences in definition which mean that the figures must be used with caution. In particular, there is a global discrepancy in the reporting of overseas capital flows to the IMF which is currently under investigation. Inward investment includes total investment into each country, both from other EC countries and from outside the EC.