§ Mr, Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if he will name the British companies operating in South Africa which, according to the latest analysis of reports under the code of practice, are paying some or all of their African workers below the minimum effective line;
(2) if he will name the 33 British companies operating in South Africa which, according to reports under the code of practice, are paying their African workers wages below the poverty datum line.
§ Mr. ParkinsonNo. All the information supplied by the companies is included in their reports, which are available for inspection by the public.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Trade what action he took to obtain the co-operation of the 17 British companies operating in South Africa which have refused to provide the information he sought under the code of conduct; and what further action he now proposes to take to ensure that they comply.
§ Mr. ParkinsonThe action we are taking is similar to that of the previous 509W Administration, in which the hon. Gentleman served as Under-Secretary of State for Trade. As the hon. Gentleman will recognise, coercion would be incompatible with the voluntary code published by that Administration.