§ 13. Mr. SternTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on employment trends in the chemical industry.
§ Mr. LeeOver the 12 months to September 1987 the number of employees in the chemical industry was unchanged at 339,000.
§ Mr. SternDoes my hon. Friend agree that the prospects arising for exports in the chemical industry during 1987, together with the on-going investment in it — particularly in my constituency—hold out a strong prospect for a further fall in unemployment through the creation of jobs in that industry this year?
§ Mr. LeeI agree with the general comments of my hon. Friend about the chemical industry. It has achieved significant increases in output and is our fourth largest manufacturing industry. But I make a general point to my hon. Friend and to the House, that we increasingly have to differentiate between the prosperity of manufacturing industry and the numbers actually employed in manufacturing.