British Steel Corporation (Hansard, 29 October 1984)

§ Mr. Rost

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) when a decision can be expected from the Office of Fair Trading on the proposed sale by the British Steel Corporation of its subsidiary, Stanton and Staveley;

(2) whether he is satisfied that the proposed sale by the British Steel Corporation of its subsidiary, Stanton and Staveley, to the French state-owned company St. Gobain, would be in the national interest;

(3) if the proposed sale of Stanton and Staveley was discussed when he last met the chairman of the British Steel Corporation;

(4) what discussions he has had with the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation with regard to the sale by the British Steel Corporation of Stanton and Staveley to the French state-owned company, St. Gobain;

(5) if he will estimate the effects on British companies competing for large consortium contracts in the water and sewage industries in export markets, if the British Steel Corporation sells Stanton and Staveley to the French state-owned company, St. Gobain;

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(6) what assurances he has sought from the French Government that the proposed sale by the British Steel Corporation of Stanton and Staveley to the French state-owned company St. Gobain will not result in large scale redundancies or closure of part of Stanton and Staveley;

(7) what assurances he has sought from the French Government that the proposed sale by the British Steel Corporation of Stanton and Staveley will not lead to a near-monopoly in the supply of cast iron pipes;

(8) what assurances he has obtained from the British Steel Corporation that its proposed sale of Stanton and Staveley to the French state-owned company St. Gobain will not result in significant price increases in cast iron pipes, nor alterations in the level of services provided, to the detriment of the competitiveness of British engineering contractors working overseas;

(9) what assurances he has obtained from the French Government and from the British Steel Corporation that its proposed sale of Stanton and Staveley to the French state-owned company St. Gobain will not result in higher costs to water authorities.