asked the Prime Minister what proposals he has, in view of the growth in company fraud and evidence of duplication of investigation, to rationalise the responsibility for companies prosecutions to remove the divided responsibility at present existing between the Department of Trade and Industry and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Close co-operation exists between the police, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Department of Trade and Industry. The arrangements are kept under regular review to ensure that there is no avoidable duplication of investigation.