§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will propose legislation under which banks in their annual corporate report will be required to publish the loans they have advanced to small, medium and large companies.
§ Mr. RedwoodAs we made clear during the public consultation on the forthcoming implementation of the bank accounts directive, the Government support the principle of fuller disclosure aimed at benefiting users of accounts. Where possible, however, we prefer to allow the banking industry to develop its own response to the need for disclosure additional to the directive's requirements.