§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which firms of (a) accountants and (b) consultants have been appointed to report to him since 1979 on the affairs of Harland and Wolff; when they were appointed; when their reports were received; and to what extent the firms concerned had previous knowledge or experience of the affairs of the company.
§ Dr. BoysonThe following firms have been appointed since 1979 to provide advice on the affairs of Harland and Wolff plc
i. P.E. Consulting Group Ltd., appointed August 1981 and report provided in September 1981.This firm had earlier in 1981 provided advice to a Government-appointed independent review team considering diversification opportunities at H and W; andii. P.A. Management Consultants, appointed June 1983 and providing advisory reports to the Department of Economic Development on an ongoing basis. This firm had been retained by H and W in 1982 to assist a management team in examining overhead costs at the yard.