§ 23. Mr. Duffyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what further estimates he has now made of the effect of the coal dispute on the level of employment in manufacturing industry; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithOn the basis ofad hoc reports from regions I estimate that the average number of workers in manufacturing industry laid off daily because of the power cuts consequent upon the coal dispute in the period 14th–25th February was of the order of 1,300,000. The latest position is that yesterday the number was down to around 500,000 and I would expect this to decrease rapidly as industry gets back to normal working.
§ 33. Mr. Atkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest estimate of future manpower requirements in the manufacturing industries.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithIt is not possible to make a reliable estimate.