HC Deb 04 June 1998 vol 313 c300W
Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Prime Minister (1) what information is held by Government departments on Technique LLC; [38551]

(2) what was the nature of any relationship between Her Majesty's Government and Technique LLC in the period 1995 to 1998; [38549]

(3) on what date Her Majesty's Government were informed of the commission payments made by Astra and related companies to Technique LLC; [38548]

(4) on what date Her Majesty's Government were informed of commission payments made to Technique LLC in relation to contracts to supply goods by Astra. [38544]

The Prime Minister

Technique LLC has been the agent in Oman for several UK companies for a number of years. In view of this, HMG officials have had some contact with company staff, primarily through the British Embassy in Muscat. From information readily available within Government, I am not aware of any evidence that HMG was informed of any commission payments to Technique LLC by Astra. Any commission payment made by a non-state company such as Astra, or companies related to it, to a foreign company such as Technique LLC, would have been a matter solely for the companies concerned.