§ Mr. Proctorasked the Minister for Trade whether his Department has yet reached a decision on the report by the Adam Smith Institute concerning freeports; what other representations he has received from interested parties since that received from the Institute of Directors; whether there has been any discussion on these matters with(a)trade unions and(b)development corporations; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Sproat[pursuant to the reply, 22 October 1982]: We have had no recent representations either on freeports generally or on freeports at airports as recommended by the report from the Adam Smith Institute. We have, however, decided that there should be a further interdepartmental review of the potential advantages of freeports and are considering the contribution to this work which could be made by the relevant national organisations.