§ Mr. Whitlockasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of persons employed in the footwear industry, by area, who are kept in their employment by short-time working compensation arrangements.
§ Mr. Jim LesterStandard industrial classification XV covers the clothing and 265W footwear industries, and information is not available separately. As at 31 January, in the two industries, for Great Britain as a whole 6,159 jobs were receiving support under the temporary short time working compensation scheme.
§ Mr. Whitlockasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish estimates of costs required for British footwear manufacturers to comply with new health and safety regulations.
§ Mr. MayhewAlthough it is possible to estimate the cost of a specific new health and safety regulation it is not generally feasible to assess the global cost of all requirements to a particular industry. If the hon. Member has a particular regulation in mind I shall be pleased to look into the matter.