§ Mr. GrocottTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the privatisations which his Department has promoted since 1979 showing, in each case, the date of the sale, the proceeds of the sale, and the estimated current value of the company.
§ Mr. FreemanMy Department has completed only one full privatisation since 1979. The proceeds of the sale in 1987 of Royal Ordnance Factory, Leeds were £15.4 million and the gross receipts from the sale of the rest of royal ordnance were £190 million. Detailed figures are given in the NAO's report into the "Sale of Royal Ordnance plc (House of Commons Paper 162 1987–8 Session)". Current values of those companies are a matter for their present owners.