§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of the abolition of the employer's national insurance contribution in (a) the development areas and (b) manufacturing industry.
§ Mr. BiffenI regret that the total cost of employer's National Insurance contributions in the development areas and in manufacturing industry is not readily available. Without this information it is not possible to estimate any cost to the Exchequer if the contributions were varied as suggested.