§ Mr. CohenTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list all the companies represented in the trade mission of November 1994 to Saudi Arabia; and what is his Department's role in respect to this mission.
§ Mr. NeedhamDue to commercial confidentiality I am unable to list the companies involved in the mission organised by British Aerospace. It involved some 50 companies mainly drawn from the engineering and food processing sectors.
My Department's involvement in this mission was in an advisory capacity, due to our involvement in the joint offset committee which aims to encourage companies to set up manufacturing joint ventures in Saudi Arabia to help the kingdom diversify its economy.
January 1991 January 1992 January 1993 January 1994 2October 1994 Per cent. South East 4.5 7.6 9.7 8.9 7.1 1(4.2) 1(7.3) 1(9.4) 1(8.6) 1(7.3) Thanet 10.2 13.7 16.4 16.4 13.9 Dover and Deal 5.3 8.5 11.2 11.3 9.4 Folkestone 7.1 9.9 12.3 13.3 11.6 Hastings 7.3 11.0 13.9 13.2 11.3 Isle of Wight 9.5 11.5 14.4 14.5 10.2 Sittingbourne and Sheerness 8.3 12.1 15.3 14.8 12.2 1 Seasonally adjusted figures. 2 Latest available figures.