(Mr Checketts)
One of the main functions of the Overseas
Projects Board, which you will know about, as part of the British
Overseas Trade Board, is to answer this very difficult question. I
think you are meaning competition between two British bids when there
ought to be one. Is that really your question?
171. Yes. I think when we had evidence from Lord Limerick
he felt that it had been a problem in the past this is nearly two
years ago but that work was going on to eliminate it. What I am asking
is whether it has been eliminated.
(Mr Checketts) Because the new Overseas Projects Board, if my
nemory serves me right, is about 12 or 18 months old, it has developed
procedures for the selection of chosen instruments, which I think is
the activity you are referring to. I do not think I need to go into the
procedures but there are procedures in the Overseas Projects Board for
selecting the leader of a bid for Britain or perhaps a consortium and I
would be happy that, under the chairmanship of that body, there are now
procedures for selecting chosen instruments for Britain.
Mr Stevens
172. On the earlier question about support from Her Majesty's
Government, in your opinion, could the HEC collectively, if the ten
Members were willing to work together more closely, almost as a cartel,
could the IEC give us more support in South-east Asia than they do?
(Mr Checketts) The only thing I can think of that is relevant
to that is the relationship between ASEAN and the EEC, which is
constantly closer. Economic agreements are being negotiated between
these two bodies, which strengthens the ASEAN connection with Europe.
That is where we must start. Their connections traditionally are with
America and Japan but the spear-head of the European thrust into ASEAN
has come from the Economic Community with those cooperation agreements,
which are a good framework for individual countries to work under to
develop their own bilateral interests.
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