§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been expended by the United Kingdom on the acquisition of companies abroad and on the acquisition by foreign companies of United Kingdom companies in 1989; and what are the comparable figures for each year since 1979 at constant prices.
§ Mr. Norman LamontThe latest available figures are given in business bulletin "Cross-Border Acquisitions and Mergers—Third Quarter 1989." Figures are available on this basis only from 1986. A copy of this publication is available in the Library. Because the figures relate to transactions for which there are no suitable price deflators, values on a constant price basis are not available.