§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give a comprehensive list of all those trading concerns which have been hived off or denationalised since June 1970.
§ Mr. Tom BoardmanThe following is the information relating to trading concerns which fall within my Department's area of responsibility.
The British Steel Corporation has disposed of certain forging and stainless steel activities as part of a rationalisation agreement with Firth Brown Ltd. The corporation has also disposed of its interests in wire-making, tool-steel making and building brickworks and has announced subject to contract the transfer of its bright bar interests to a company in which it will have a 439W minority shareholding. The corporation's former Constructional Engineering and Chemicals Division have been converted into wholly-owned subsidiary companies.
The National Coal Board has disposed of interests in concrete products manufacture and computerised hotel reservations. The board has also, with effect from 1st April 1973, transferred the following non-mining activities to wholly-owned subsidiary companies.
British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. and the Radiochemical Centre Ltd. were set up in April 1971 as trading concerns wholly owned by the Atomic Energy Authority.
- Coal concentration depots.
- Coal handling depots.
- Packaged fuel plants.
- Retail services.
- Brickworks.
- Tredomen Engineering Works.
- Non-operational land.
- Coal Products Division.