§ 62. Mr. McAvoyTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what has been the expenditure on takeovers and mergers in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what has been the spending on research and development, training and manufacturing investment on a comparable basis.
§ Mr. MaudeExpenditure by industrial and commercial companies on acquisitions and mergers within the United Kingdom during 1988 is estimated to be £22.1 billion. During the same period gross domestic fixed capital formation by industrial and commercial companies is estimated to have been £37.4 billion. No directly comparable figures are available for spending on training or research and development.