HC Deb 29 October 1990 vol 178 c359W
Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what indication he has received from the European Commission as to the county chosen as the site for the European bank for reconstruction and development.

Mrs. Chalker

Prospective member countries of the European bank for reconstruction and development decided last May that London should be the site of the bank's headquarters.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in choosing a potential site for the European bank for reconstruction and development.

Mrs. Chalker

The bank has temporary headquarters in the City of London. Negotiations on a permanent location in London are in progress.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many jobs he forecasts will be attached to the new European bank for reconstruction and development.

Mrs. Chalker

The president-designate of the bank, M. Jacques Attali, has stated that by the end of its first year of operations the bank expects to employ roughly 200 to 250 people.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to discuss sites for the European bank for reconstruction and development with the Kirklees metropolitan borough council.

Mrs. Chalker

None—the bank's headquarters will be in London.