§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Trade, in view of the fact that in the terms of the European Economic Community code of conduct the following companies : Associated Engineering Ltd., Barclays Bank, BICC, Bowthorpe Holdings Ltd., BP, Burmah Oil, Cape Industries, Cavenham Ltd., Crown House Ltd., Delta Metal, Dickinson Robinson Group, Eagle Star Insurance, Thomas French and Sons, GEC, Gestetner, International Distillers and Vintners, Lindustries, Low and Bonar Group, Metal Closures Group, Mitchell Cotts, National Employers' Mutual General Insurance Association Ltd., Norwich Union, Plesseys, Rank Hovis MacDougall, Reed International, Rentokil, Roussel Laboratories, Tarmac, Tate and Lyle, Tioxide Group, Turner and Newall, USMC Int. and Thomas Witter and Co., operating in South Africa are paying 2,000 of their African workers wages below the poverty datum line, what representations he has made to the chairman of each company to ensure their compliance with the poverty datum line standard in future.
§ Mr. Parkinson[pursuant to his reply, 10 June 1980, c. 81] : The hon. Gentleman and members of the public must judge for themselves from the published reports which companies fall into this category. In any event the code is voluntary and coercion by the Government is therefore inappropriate.