§ 22. Mr. Kenneth Carlisleasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the current level of investment by foreign companies in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerProvisional figures for 1983 indicate that overseas direct investment into the United Kingdom, excluding oil, amounted to £3.1 billion, more than double the 1982 estimate. The number of inward investment projects rose from 133 in 1982 to 210 in 1983. I welcome this increase for the many benefits it will bring to our economy and for the confidence which foreign companies have in Britain's economic prospects.