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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what advice the department received from the Office of Fair Trading on the GEC-BAE merger in 1999; [174209] (2) what advice the Secretary of State received from (a) his officials and (b) other Departments on the Office of Fair Trading report on the GEC-BAE merger; [174210] (3) whom (a) within the Department and (b) outside the Department the Secretary of State, his representatives and advisers consulted on the Office of Fair Trading report regarding the merger of BAE- GEC; [174211] (4) if he will list officials within his Department who were consulted on the Office of Fair Trading report regarding the merger of BAE-GEC in 1999; [174212] (5) if he will list the meetings that took place between Mr. Ed Miliband and his officials in 1999 to discuss (a) the GEC-BAE merger and (b) Govan shipyard; [174213] (6) what briefings the Secretary of State (a) gave and (b) received in 1999 on the GEC interest in the Govan shipyard; [174214] (7) on what date the Secretary of State received the minutes of the meeting between Mr. George Simpson of GEC and the Prime Minister to discuss the merger of BAE and GEC in1999; [174215] (8) if he will list the dates on which he met Mr. George Simpson of GEC in 1999; if he will publish the minutes of the meetings; and if he will list the attendees at those meetings.[R]; [174217] (9) if he will list the communications between himself, his representatives and advisers and GEC in 1999 over (a) the proposed merger of BAE-GEC and (b) Govan shipyard.[R]; [174218] (10) if he will list the communications between himself, his representatives and advisers and Kvaerner, their representatives and advisers over the proposed closure of the Govan shipyard in 1999.[R]; [174219] (11) if he will list dates of meetings between departmental officials and Mr. Martin Sixsmith of GEC in 1999.[R]; [174220] (12) if he will list the briefings given by his Department in 1999 on the GEC interest in the Govan shipyard.[R]; [174221] (13) if he will list the meetings his Department had with the taskforce chaired by Sir Gavin Laird set up by the Government to look for potential buyers for the Govan shipyard in 1999.[R]; [174222] (14) if he will list the meetings held with Sir Gavin Laird to discuss the future of the Govan shipyard in 1999.[R]; [174223] (15) if he will list the meetings held with the management of Govan/Kvaerner to discuss the future of the Govan shipyard in 1999.[R]: [174224] (16) what role he played in the negotiations over the future of Govan shipyard in 1999.[R]; [174225] (17) what role he played in the informal and oral approaches made to GEC over the purchase of Govan in 1999.[R]; [174226] (18) what role his Department played in approving the GEC-BAE merger in 1999.[R] [174227] Mr. Hoon: My officials and I and my predecessors in office have meetings and discussions with a wide range of organisations and individuals. As with previous Administrations it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings under Exemptions 2 and 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Information relating to internal discussion and advice is exempt from disclosure under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The decision on approving the GEC-BAE merger in 1999 was made by the then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the right hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers) in the capacity set out in the Fair Trading Act 1973.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

423 c351-2W; 174209;174210;174211;174212;174213;174214;174215;174217;174218;174219;174220;174221;174222;174223;174224;174225;174226;174227

Session

2003-04

Registered interest declared

Yes

Subjects

Glasgow Mergers Shipbuilding BAE Systems GEC Marconi

Link

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