§ Mr. Peter Millsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what share the United Kingdom has in the various contracts for printing given by the European Commission;
(2) what share the United Kingdom has in the various office equipment contracts given by the European Commission.
§ Mr. HattersleyI regret that the information is not available. I understand, however, that the Commission procures equipment and services by calls for tender. Since the United Kingdom joined the Community, British undertakings have been eligible to bid for these contracts. While no national "shares" are allocated, I believe that the Commission is conscious of the need to aim at a broad balance of supply by the individual member States.