§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the cutbacks that have been made in his Department's collection of statistics since May 1979; and whether further cuts are now being proposed.
§ Mr. MacGregorDecisions have been taken to stop or curtail the following statistical inquiries carried out by the statistical services of the Departments of Industry and Trade:
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Inquiries stopped No. of forms saved Quarterly export prospects survey 300* Annual survey of film distributors 100* Monthly manufacturers' stocks survey 7,800* Export prices survey (monthly or quarterly) 5,000* Quarterly catering turnover inquiry 5,600* Quarterly motor trades turnover inquiry 4,200* Quarterly survey of sources and uses of company funds 600* Shops inquiry 1981 150,000† Reduction informs sent out (a) from 1980 Annual survey of retailing 5,000* Annual survey of other distributive and service trades 11,300* Annual census of production 4,600* 1979 purchases inquiry by manufacturers 1,200‡ 2 instead of 3 surveys a year of investment intentions 2,500* (b) from 1981 (in addition to above) Annual census of production 10,700* Restructuring the quarterly manufacturing sales inquiries 28,000* Slimming down of the monthly manufacturing sales inquiries 16,500* Restructuring the annual inquiries into the distributive and service trades 15,000* Streamlining the quarterly steel stocks inquiry 2 to 3,000* * A year † In 1981 ‡ In 1980 It is likely that the continuing review of the statistical services will result in further cut backs.