asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish a list of the abbreviations commonly used by his Department in parliamentary speeches, statements and answers to Questions with their respective meanings.

In general my Department uses abbreviations in parliamentary speeches, statements and answers to Questions only where the meaning has been made clear elsewhere in the text. The most common abbreviations are as follows:

• B.Ae—British Aerospace
• BL—British Leyland
• BS—British Shipbuilders
• BSC—British Steel Corporation
• CADC—Computer Aided Design Centre
• CDA—Co-operative Development Agency
• ERDF—European Regional Development Fund
• IA—Intermediate Area
• IDAB—Industrial Development Advisory Board
• i.d.c—industrial development certificate
• ISERBS—Iron and Steel Employees Redundancy Benefits Scheme
• LGC—Laboratory of the Government Chemist
• MFA—Multi-Fibre Arrangement
• NEB—National Enterprise Board
• NEL—National Engineering Laboratory
• NMI—National Maritime Institute
• NPL—National Physical Laboratory
• NRDC—National Research Development Corporation
• PO—Post Office
• SDA—Special Development Area
• WSL—Warren Spring Laboratory