HC Deb 25 July 1986 vol 102 cc618-9W
Mr. Caborn

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give details of all contracts involving his Department and majority-owned South African companies since June 1979.

Mr. Alan Clark

Details of departmental contracts since 1979 differentiated on the basis of company ownership could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Caborn

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will provide details of goods procured by his Department from (a) South Africa and (b) Namibia for each year from 1980 to 1985, including the total value for each year and the value of each category of items for each year.

Mr. Alan Clark

The information required could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Caborn

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will provide details of all assistance provided by his Department for (a) trade to South Africa and (b) investment in South Africa.

Mr. Alan Clark

BOTB and ECGD assistance continues to be available in principle to United Kingdom exporters and investors in South Africa, with the exception of financial assistance for trade missions to South Africa and for participation in trade fairs there.

Mr. Caborn

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will provide an estimate of (a) new investment and (b) loans from the United Kingdom to South Africa for the years 1980 to 1985.

Mr. Pattie

The available information on new investment relates to the acquisition net of disposals of the share and loan capital of affiliated companies in South Africa by United Kingdom companies and is:

£ million
1980 -0.6
1981 -46.2
1982 -6.9
1983 -80.2
1984 -35.9

Note: Oil companies arc included only in 1984.

The available information on loans relates to claims on South Africa of British owned and foreign banks in the United Kingdom. It is published in the Bank of England's Quarterly Bulletin and is:

At 31 December £ million
1979 0.9
1980 1.1

At 31 December £ million
1981 2.6
1982 4.2
1983 5.5
1984 6.9
1985 5.5

Mr. Frank Field

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place copies in the Library of all correspondence he has had with companies following the EEC Foreign Ministers' meeting on the code of conduct of firms operating in South Africa up until and including the publication of the recent White Paper on the code.

Indices of Competitiveness
OTS basis
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F) (G)
1977 79.7 83.9 79.0 67.6 106.4 89 126
1978 84.5 86.0 81.7 72.8 106.5 92 112
1979 90.4 93.0 89.4 83.7 102.5 96 98
1980 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100 100
1981 98.0 100.5 100.8 104.3 100.5 102 96
1982 92.2 98.5 97.7 100.6 101.8 102 89
1983 89.2 94.3 91.0 95.4 105.0 100 79
1984 87.7 92.0 87.7 94.6 107.8 100 78
1985 *89.8 91.5 90.0 99.6 109.7 101 79
1983 Q1 85.1 94.5 87.4 90.5 104.4 100 79
Q2 90.3 93.6 92.4 96.1 105.0 100 79
Q3 91.8 94.7 92.8 97.7 105.5 101 80
Q4 89.6 94.5 91.3 97.2 105.3 101 76
1984 Q1 89.0 93.8 90.1 96.4 106.0 100 78
Q2 88.5 93.1 89 2 94.8 106.6 100 76
Q3 87.7 91.3 872 94.9 108.7 101 76
Q4 85.5 89.9 84.4 92.4 109.8 100 81
1985 Q1 *83.1 88.4 81.6 90.5 110.5 99 79
Q2 *90.9 90.2 90.5 100.0 110.3 101 80
Q3 *93.9 93.1 95.0 105.2 109.4 103 78
Q4 *91.5 94.3 92.7 102.6 108.7 104 78
1986 Q1 n/a 92.7 n/a n/a 109.8 103 76
* Estimate

n/a not available

Source:

Department of Trade and Industry

(A) Relative Export Prices

(B) Import Price Competitiveness

(C) Relative Producer Prices

(D) Relative Normal Unit Labour Costs

(E) Relative Profitability of Exports

(F) Terms of Trade in Manufactures

(G) Relative Volume of Trade in Manufactures.