§ 4. Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress to date regarding privatisation of Northern Ireland nationalised industries.
§ Mr. ViggersIn strict terms there are no nationalised industries in Northern Ireland.
Consultants have carried out a preliminary study of the main elements likely to influence the approach to the privatisation of Northern Ireland Electricity. Further work is being undertaken on points raised by this study and the Government's proposals will be published in due course.
Negotiations are continuing with possible acquirers of Harland and Wolff; these include senior managers at the yard who are considering a management/employee buy-out.
With regard to Shorts, an advertisement was placed on 17 November inviting parties to register their interest in buying Shorts with the Government's merchant bank advisers, Kleinwort Benson, by 2 December.