§ Mr. Thomas Coxasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to buy British as far as technical equipment is concerned; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Tebbit" Best value for money " is the principle applied in all public purchasing. With many types of technical equipment this includes the need to strengthen and promote the competitiveness of British industry. Technical equipment, however, is of such a variety that it would not be reasonable to expect British industry to supply every item competitively, in respect of price, performance and delivery.