§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has made recent comparisons between the cost per head of population of providing consumer protection and trading standards services in (a) the metropolitan county areas, (b) the shire county areas and (c) the London boroughs.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherNo. Such comparisons would not be particularly meaningful without clear information on the comparative standards of consumer protection and trading standards services provided by the
238W
Spectacle frames and lenses Imports 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 Value £ Millions (c.i.f.) Spectacle frames, mounts and parts thereof 8.0 10.4 12.1 12.2 14.7 17.2 17.4 13.7 16.6 Spectacle lenses* 1.6 2.4 3.0 4.4 5.6 7.1 7.0 7.1 8.3 Sales by UK Manufacturers: Value £ Millions (current prices) Spectacle frames, mounts and parts thereof 10.7 8.9 10.6 12.2 13.6 14.8 12.3 11.2 12.1 Finished spectacle lenses sold separately 16.6 18.4 22.9 25.8 30.9 29.0 27.4 26.4 26.6 Number (Millions) Finished spectacle lenses sold separately 33.9 30.8 36.3 37.9 42.7 † † † † bodies concerned. I am, of course, aware of the recent comparison made by the Institute of Trading Standards Administration.