§ Mr. Madelasked the Secretary of State for Industry what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the British commercial vehicle industry in relation to the purchasing policy of commercial vehicles by the nationalised industries; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Butcher:My right hon. Friend has had no such discussions recently. The purchasing policies of the nationalised industries and the purchasing decisions they make are matters for their own commercial judgment.
1977–78 1978–79 NLF* 1979–80 NLF*/PDC 1980–81 1981–82 Since† May 1979 NLF and PDC (£ million) — 55 181† 110 107 418 Subsidies under Section 7 &8 of the Industry Act 1972 27.4 10.6 31.2 39.9 45.9 142.5 Construction Grants under Section 11 of the 1972 Act 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.5 Shipbuilding Redundancy Payments — 4.7 15.5 20.1 14.4 54.3 * National Loans Fund advanced on an interim basis. † Net. All outstanding NLF loans were repaid in full with interest on 21 December 1979 and were replaced by PDC. † Figures for payments since May 1979 include payments made so far in the current year 1982–83.