§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether any representative of his Department has met Mr. Gerald James, Mr. Michael Cruddas or Mr. Tim Laxton to discuss the sale of armaments;
(2) what information he has as to the involvement of Mr. Gerald James, Mr. Michael Cruddas or Mr. Tim Laxton in the sale of arms to countries overseas.
§ Mr. HanleyMy officials had routine contacts with Mr. James in his capacity as chairman of the defence manufacturing company Astra. These contacts may have involved discussions relating to the possible export of equipment manufactured by Astra, but there is no record of this. As we made clear in evidence to the Trade and Industry Select Committee in 1992, meetings were also held to discuss contracts assumed by Astra, following the company's acquisition of the Belgian firm PRB. My Department has no information about Mr. Cruddas or Mr. Laxton and I have no knowledge of any contact between them and MOD officials.