§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what considerations were taken into account in deciding whether to appoint DTI inspectors under the Companies Acts in the cases of Maxwell Communications Corporation and Polly Peck International.
§ Mr. Neil HamiltonInspectors have not been appointed into either Maxwell Communications Corporation or Polly Peck International. However, inspectors were appointed last June to investigate and report on the affairs and membership of Mirror Group Newspapers plc. The inspectors have been asked to look in particular at the offer for sale of the company shares.
In deciding whether or not to appoint inspectors, consideration is given to the criteria laid down by statute —principally sections 432 and 442 of the Companies Act 1985—and to whether the appointment of inspectors would be in the public interest.