§ Mr. Peter RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what considerations underlay the absence of competition in respect of the invitation for tenders for the supply of electricity to Northern Ireland, prior to the signing of heads of agreement between Scottish Power and Northern Ireland Electricity.
§ Mr. AncramI understand that Northern Ireland Electricity initially approached a number of generating companies including National Power plc, PowerGen plc, Electricity de France and Scottish Hydro Electric plc in addition to Scottish Power plc before entering into detailed negotiations with the last named.