§ Mr. Whiteheadasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether in view of the fact that in the terms of the European Economic Community code of conduct the following companies—Associated Engineering, Berec, British Insulated Callender's Cables, Cape Industries, Coats Paton, Delta Metal, Dickinson Robinson Group, Dunlop Holdings, Eagle Star, General Electric Company, Gestetner Holdings, Glynwed, International Distillers and Vintners, subsidiary of Grand Metropolitan, Lonrho, Lopex, Low and Bonar, Mitchell Cotts, National Employers Mutual, Roussel Laboratories, Simon Engineering, Thomas Tilling—operating in South Africa are paying 2,000 of their African workers wages below the poverty datum line, he will make representations to the chairman of each company to encourage its compliance with the poverty datum line standard in future.
§ Mr. Parkinson[pursuant to his reply, 15 April 1981, c. 139]: 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.