§ Mr. AdleyTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the estimated cost to the balance of payments of the trading methods of the Ford Motor Company whereby most of its vehicles are assembled outside the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Alan Clark[holding answer 7 February 1989]To estimate the impact on the balance of payments of the Ford Motor Company's overall investment and sales policies would be highly complex.
As a long-established multinational, the company imports and exports components as well as assembled vehicles and has major investments in this country. The value of such an estimate would be subject to so many variables as to rob it of any tangible significance.