§ Mr. Clinton Davisasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many orders have been made in each of the years 1970, 1971, 1972 and up to the present time pursuant to the Shipping Contracts and Commercial Documents Act 1964; and if he will specify the occasions when and circumstances in which such orders were made.
§ Sir G. HoweThere has been one direction during this period, under Section 2 of the Act, on 5th December 1972. The direction followed an order upon the Beecham Group Limited by the United States district court in the District of Columbia requiring Beechams to answer certain interrogatories filed in the district court by the plaintiffs in proceedings brought against the company by the United States Department of Justice and others. The order was made because it was apparent that answers to these interrogatories would involve the production of commercial documents (or information compiled from such documents) located in the United Kingdom and that the requirements of the order of the district court constituted an infringement of the jurisdiction to which the United Kingdom was entitled under international law.