§ Sir Cranley OnslowTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the adequacy of guidance on the European procurement directive which is available to British industry and commerce.
§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 30 June 1993]: The Government have kept both the United States and individual trade associations informed about the European Community public purchasing directives; and 603W my own Department's guidance booklet on the subject has been distributed to more than 135,000 companies and individuals. While there have been surveys of the general effectiveness of my Department's single market publicity, there has been no formal assessment specific to the public purchasing directives. The recent appointment to my Department of an export promoter responsible for helping companies win public sector contracts throughout the EC and EFTA should help identify any gaps in the present guidance. The Treasury, which led the United Kingdom negotiation of the directives, is also considering whether there is a need to provide additional general guidance.