HC Deb 27 November 1967 vol 755 c22W
Mr. Clark Hutchison

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what direction he has given to the banks to accommodate small businesses and shopkeepers in Scotland with short-term credit facilities.

Mr. Harold Lever

Within the overall ceiling on lending outside the public sector (except for exports and shipbuilding) the banks have been asked to give priority to finance for production and investment necessary to sustain or increase exports, for the promotion of invisible earnings, or, as in the case of agriculture, for securing a saving in imports. The banks have also been asked to continue to have regard to the Government's policies on regional development. The Scottish banks will be discussing with the Bank of England the interpretation of this guidance in relation to Scotland, but the application of the guidance in particular cases will be for the banks themselves to decide.