§ Mr. HeddleTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he proposes to make a statement on Exposure draft 42, "Accounting For Special Purposes Transactions".
§ Mr. AtkinsMy Department commented on Exposure draft 42 last summer. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Corporate Affairs subsequently made an announcement in August on related matters: changes to the definition of a subsidiary, which are now included in the Companies Bill; and the circumstances in which it may be necessary, in order for group accounts to show the required true and fair view, to treat a body which is not legally a subsidiary as though it were one. I have no plans to make any further statement in connection with Exposure draft 42.