asked the Secretary of State for Industry if any of the companies which have members on the External Advisory Committee set up to advise his Department on the Ferrous Foundry Scheme, have been in receipt of benefits from the scheme under Section 8 of the Industry Act 1972.

Details of assistance given under the scheme are commercially confidential. As I have previously explained, a member of the committee who is in any way directly or indirectly interested in an application for assistance which is under consideration by the committee must declare the nature of his interest and take no part in the deliberations of the committee with respect to that application.