§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade on what terms the chief executive of Unipart was retained by his Department in connection with an initiative intended to improve the image of privatisation. [17396]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 24 February 1997]: John Neill, the chief executive of the Unipart group of companies, was one of four chief executives and company chairmen who accepted my invitation to speak at a DTI conference— "Privatisation: Setting Enterprise Free"—on 5 December 1996, the main purpose of which was to help British companies to secure privatisation business in other countries. Mr. Neill delivered a speech setting out his personal view on how the privatisation of Unipart had enabled the company to improve its performance. Like all speakers, he gave his services free of charge.
413W