§ Lord Pearson of Rannochasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the cumulative value of acquisitions of British companies by French companies which were announced or consummated between 1 January 2000 and 23 June 2000; and what was the corresponding cumulative value of acquisitions of French companies by British companies during the same period. [HL3032]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter to Lord Pearson of Rannoch from the National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, Office for National Statistics, Mr Len Cook, dated 5 July 2000.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the value of acquisitions of British companies by French companies and French companies by British companies announced or consummated between 1 January 2000 and 23 June 2000.
The latest available information from the inquiry into acquisitions and mergers is for deals completed during the first quarter of 2000. Figures are not produced for deals announced but not completed in the period covered. Acquisitions of French companies by British companies were valued at £0.2 billion and acquisitions of British companies by French companies were £1.1 billion. The quarterly figure is heavily influenced by variations in small numbers of very large deals.