§ Mr. Edgeasked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps he is taking to reduce cyclical variations in demand for the products of British manufacturing industry.
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§ Mr. DellI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend will, of course, be concerned with demand management in his Budget speech tomorrow. The present Government are conscious of the need to reduce the amplitude of cyclical variations in the economy and to promote a steady sustainable growth of the economy. My hon. Friend will be aware that the Government have allocated funds to help bring forward demand for capital goods through the accelerated capital projects scheme, and this is proving to be an effective counter-cyclical measure. We have also made arrangements to promote counter-cyclical Stockbuilding of steel and machine tools.