§ 97. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the effects of the national emergency on the Scottish economy.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellThe miners' strike had a consequential effect in Scotland on the employment of about 180,000 people, at the peak. I am glad to say that by last Friday this total had already declined to about 171,000 and the removal at the week-end of the special restrictions on the use of electricity by industry will accelerate the return to more normal conditions. Longer-term effects on the Scottish economy cannot be predicted at this stage.