To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what arrangements were made for the payment of the purchase price of the Leyland Bus Division from Austin Rover; and if he will make a statement.

This is a matter for the Rover Group plc, which was the vendor of the Leyland Bus business.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if Austin Rover has received the full amount of the purchase price of the sale of the Leyland Bus Division in January 1987; and if he will make a statement.

While this is strictly a matter for the Rover Group plc, I understand from the company that the due sum was paid.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what dates payments of the purchase price of Leyland Bus Division were made to Austin Rover.

The dates of payments to the Rover Group plc are a matter for the company.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if his Department was involved in negotiating the recent sale of the Leyland Bus Division to Volvo; and if he will make a statement.

My Department was not involved in negotiating the sale of Leyland Bus Ltd. to Volvo.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if his Department has any plans to recover its investment in Leyland Buses; and if he will make a statement.

No.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what has been the total level of state aid to Leyland Buses in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

In none of the past five years has the European Commission approved or rejected any specific proposals to state-aid the continuing Leyland Bus operations. Following the sale of Leyland Bus by the Rover Group plc the Government subscribed for £680 million of new capital in the Rover Group plc. This was to fund the write-off of the accumulated debts of Leyland Bus and Leyland Trucks left in the Rover Group plc, together with the restructuring costs arising from their sale.