To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to announce if a buyer has been found for the Volvo Truck and Bus manufacturing plant in Irvine and, if so, whether it intends to name the buyer by 2 July 1999.

The Scottish Office and Locate in Scotland are making every effort to assist Volvo to find a buyer with a view to ensuring a continuing manufacturing presence on the Irvine site. The Scottish Executive is equally committed to securing a continuing future for the facility and the skilled workforce there. We are hopeful that these efforts to retain the maximum number of existing skilled jobs will prove successful, however it is premature to speculate on when any announcement of a buyer might be made.