§ Mr. Sainsburyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has agreed to finance the disillation plant project recently submitted by the Gibraltar Government.
§ Mr. RaisonI have approved the Gibraltar Government's request that the total cost of this project, £6.8 million, should be met from our contribution towards Gibraltar's 1982–86 development programme. To comply with EC requirements, the, project was advertised in the ECOfficial Journal and the best bid received on both technical and financial grounds was from a French company, although its proposals include a United Kingdom content of about 45 per cent. The cost of the best British tender was 48 per cent. above that of the French company. The Gibraltar Government have awarded the contract to the French company.