§ Miss Quennellasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out a table showing which sectors of industry and commerce are expanding 289W under the Government's policies, as a percentage growth, activity by activity.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantThe table below shows the percentage changes in output for the main sectors of industry and commerce between the third quarters of 1971 and 1972. It also shows for the industries covered by the index of production the changes between September-November 1971 and September-November 1972, the three months for which most recent figures are available.
Percentage changes 3rd quarter 1972 on 3rd quarter 1971 September-November 1972 on September-November 1971 Gross domestic product: total + 3.6 — Agriculture, forestry and fishing + 1.7 — Industrial production: Total + 3.5 + 5.8 Mining and quarrying - 3.5 + 3.1 Manufacturing: + 3.9 + 5.9 Food, drink and tobacco + 1.9 + 2.4 Coal and petroleum products; chemicals and allied industries + 7.9 + 6.6 Metal manufacture No change + 9.4 Engineering and allied industries: Total + 2.3 + 5.4 [Of which: Electrical engineering + 12.5 + 13.2 Vehicles (including aircraft) No change + 7.8] Textiles, leather and clothing + 4.2 + 5.6 Bricks, pottery and glass + 9.1 + 13.1 Timber, furniture, etc. + 12.5 + 12.8 Paper, printing and publishing + 5.9 + 4.8 Other manufacturing + 2.4 — Construction - 4.5* — Gas, electricity and water + 13.8 + 12.9 Transport and communications + 4.4 — Distributive trades + 5.2 — Other services + 3.2 — —Not available. * 3rd quarter 1972 adversely affected by strike.