§ Mr. Ron Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish in 302W the Official Report a list of those sections of United Kingdom manufacturing industry which experienced an import penetration of greater than 20 per cent. in 1976.
§ Mr. MeacherIn 1975 import penetration for 12 of the 17 orders comprising manufacturing industry—Orders III to XIX in the Standard Industrial Classification—exceeded 20 per cent. These are listed below. Information so far available for 1976 suggests that it is unlikely that the position changed last year.
Order
- V Chemicals and allied industries
- VI Metal manufacture
- VII Mechanical engineering
- VIII Instrument engineering
- IX Electrical engineering
- X Shipbuilding and marine engineering
- XI Vehicles
- XII Metal goods not elsewhere specified (a)
- XIII Textiles
- XIV Leather, leather goods and fur
- XV Clothing and footwear
- XVII Timber, furniture, etc.
(a) Excluding diamonds, which are classified to this order, import penetration was below 20 per cent.
§ Mr. Gouldasked the Secretary of State for Trade by what proportion world trade in manufactures increased in 1976; and by what proportion United Kingdom exports of manufactures increased over the same period.
§ Mr. MeacherInformation on exports of manufactures by the main manufacturing countries is available only up to the third quarter of 1976. The information for the quarters of 1976, which is still provisional, shows an increase, in dollar value terms, of 9.7 per cent. in the first three quarters of 1976, compared with the corresponding period of 1975. Over this same period, the dollar value of United Kingdom exports of manufactures rose by 5.2 per cent. In volume terms, the increases are 1F6 per cent. and 7.2 per cent. respectively. For 1976 as a whole United Kingdom exports of manufacturers increased in dollar value by 5.4 per cent., and in volume by 7.5 per cent. The latest information is published in Table 13, page 656, of the 11th March issue ofTrade and Industry.