§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assess the performance of manufacturing industry in(a) Shropshire and (b) the West Midlands region in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [116048]
§ Ms HewittAt this stage, official figures relating to the economic performance of the regions and their sub-regions in 1999 are not available. However, we know from the most recent such figures that manufacturing industry continues to contribute a greater share of regional GDP and to provide a higher proportion of regional employment in the West Midlands than in any other region. We also know that manufacturing's share of employment in the combined areas of the county of Shropshire and the Telford and Wrekin Unitary Authority is significantly above the national average, and that GDP per head (96 per cent. of the national average) in this area is higher than that in the West Midlands region as a whole (94 per cent. of the national average).
Business surveys conducted in the West Midlands region in the latter part of 1999 all point to an improved outlook for manufacturing industry. The most recent editions of the West Midlands Regional Group of Chambers' Quarterly Economic Survey, the West Midlands Business Survey, the CBI's Regional Trends Survey and the Engineering Employers Federation West Midlands Business Trends Survey all reported improvements in manufacturing sales and orders, along with a strengthening in confidence among the region's manufacturing sector when compared to their findings in surveys conducted in late 1998 and early 1999. These results are broadly in line with the findings of national business surveys and reflects the renewed growth in UK manufacturing output during the second half of 1999.