§ Mr. AdleyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what initiatives he intends to take following the decision to wind up the National Economic Development Office.
§ Mr. Heseltine[holding answer 8 July 1992]: I announced on 3 July my plans to reorganise the Department of Trade and Industry to enable it to concentrate more on promoting the competitiveness of British industry and commerce, and to relate more closely to industry, sector by sector. The new organisation will encourage the establishment of a flexible and direct dialogue with industry. The Department is inviting inward secondees from industry to join civil servants in the new sectorial divisions, and I also expect to fill a small number of posts with staff drawn from the National Economic Development Office.