§ Mr. Bellingham:To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research her Department has carried out into the number of United Kingdom firms considering relocating all or part of their operations abroad. [140518]
§ Ms Hewitt:The Government take the issue of offshoring of UK operations very seriously. However, decisions on location are commercial matters for companies to take. We nevertheless need to understand better what is happening, and to this end we have launched a consultation document inviting views from businesses, employees and their unions, and consumer groups. I will also chair a roundtable seminar in the new year, to help inform the debate on the impacts of offshoring.
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