HC Deb 07 March 1978 vol 945 cc607-10W
Mr. Litterick

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following bodies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Cable and Wireless, British Steel Corporation, British Leyland, Midlands Electricity Board, British Airways, British Railways, British Aircraft Corporation, and the Bank of England; and with what results;

(2) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Imperial Chemical Industries, Unilever, and Monsanto Chemicals; and what were the results;

(3) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: BICC, Standard Cables and Pirelli General Cables; and what were the results;

(4) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Marconi-Elliot Avionic Systems, Marconi Space and Defence Systems, Marconi Communications, EMI Limited, and Mullards; and what were the results;

(5) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: British Petroleum, Shell Oil, Shell Refining, and Esso Petroleum; and what were the results;

(6) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Rank, Spillers, Cadbury-Schweppes, Batchelors Foods, Sainsburys, and Marks and Spencer; and what were the results;

(7) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Costains, Sir Alfred MacAlpine, and Wimpeys and what were the results;

(8) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Caterpillar Tractor, Vauxhall Motors, and Massey Ferguson; and what were the results;

(9) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Nationwide Insurance, Prudential Insurance, Royal Insurance, Barclays Bank, Lloyd's Bank, Midland Bank, and National Westminster Bank; and what were the results;

(10) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Chloride Industrial Batteries, Chloride Automotive Batteries, and Chloride Alcad; and what were the results;

(11) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Lucas Aerospace, Lucas Batteries, Lucas Control Systems, Lucas Electrical, and Lucas Metal Workings; and what were the results;

(12) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following campanies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: GEC, Elliott Process Automation, GEC Turbine Generators, GEC Traction, GEC Telecommunications, GEC Switchgear, GEC (Radio and Television); GEC Power Engineering, GEC Machines, GEC (Lamps and Lighting), GEC Industrial Controls, GEC Gas Turbines, and GEC Computers; and what were the results;

(13) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Babcock and Wilcox, Alfred Herbert, GKN Sankey, Cincinnati Machine Tool, Scott Lithgow, Plessey Group, Albright (Engineers), Dowty Engineering, Ferranti, Clarke Engineering (UK), Crabtree Engineering, British Brown Boveri, Crompton Parkinson, Tube Investments, Fine Tubes, and Vickers Engineering; and what were the results;

(14) on what dates meetings, negotiations or other forms of communication took place between officials or Ministers of his Department and representatives of each of the following companies, with a view to concluding a planning agreement under the Industry Act 1975: Dunlop, Champion Spark Plugs, Carborundum Company, Union Carbide, Wellcome Foundation, May and Baker, Smiths Industries, Reed International, Wiggins Teape, International Latex Corporation, Staveley Industries, Fisons, Bauer (Great Britain), Charles Churchill, Kodak, Frigidaire Europe, AEG Telefunken, and IBM; and what were the results.

Mr. Cryer

Discussions, including those on planning agreements, between Government and individual companies are normally confidential. With regard to progress towards planning agreements with those companies listed in the questions and covered by my hon. Friend's announcement of 13th April 1976, I refer my hon. Friend to my answer on 12th December 1977.

Talks with British Steel Corporation have taken place, but the corporation's present problems have delayed progress. Progress with British Airways has been delayed by a number of factors, including the reassessment of plans following organisational changes.

As I told my hon. Friend in my answer on 27th January, exploratory discussions are also in hand with a number of companies over a wide range of industries. Announcements on progress in individual cases will be made as soon as circumstances permit.

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