§ Mr. Brayasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of operatives employed in the footwear industry in each of the five years to 31st December, 1971.
§ Mr. Dudley Smith:The following table shows the estimated numbers of all employees in employment, including operatives, in the footwear industry.
Estimated numbers of employees in employment in Great Britain in the footwear industry December, 1967 96,300 December, 1968 97,900 December, 1969 99,900 December, 1970 96,400 December, 1971 (provisional) 95,600 The statistics do not indicate how many of these were operatives, but based on inquiries made in October of each of these years the operative proportion throughout the period was about 85 per cent.