HC Deb 19 March 1997 vol 292 cc621-2W
Mr. Hunter

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of United Kingdom overseas investments are in(a) Germany, (b) the European Union, (c) the United States of America, and (d) the rest of the world. [20686]

Mrs. Angela Knight

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Andrew Hunter, dated 19 March 1997: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on the overseas investment. The figures requested are shown in the table below. They are based on flows and stock of direct investment overseas i.e. where the United Kingdom company has a significant and lasting interest in an enterprise operating overseas. No information is available centrally regarding the geographical breakdown of portfolio investment overseas.

Direct Investment: Percentage of UK Total
Area Flows during 1995 Stock at end 1995
Germany 6 5
EU (including Germany) 37 36
USA 40 31
Rest of the world 23 33