§ Mr. Woolmerasked the Minister for Trade (1) if he will publish a table showing the size of the United Kingdom registered merchant fleet expressed in thousands dead weight tonnes and in numbers for each year since 1960 categorised into (a) passenger vessels, (b) cargo liners, (c) container vessels, (d) tramps, (e) bulk carriers, (f) tankers and (g) others;
(2) for each year since 1960 how many United Kingdom registered merchant vessels, involving what dead weight tonnage, left the United Kingdom flag and re-registered under the flags of other nations; and what were the national flags involved;
(3) if he will publish a table for the latest available date of the United Kingdom registered merchant fleet, classified by types (a) passenger vessels, (b) cargo liners, (c) container vessels, (d) tramps, (e) bulk carriers and (f) tankers, and by ownership; (i) United Kingdom companies, (ii) United Kingdom subsidiaries or associates of foreign companies, (iii) companies owned abroad by subsidiaries of United Kingdom companies and (iv) other companies owned abroad;
(4) what levels and percentages of imports and of exports by value and by weight were carried in United Kingdom registered merchant vessels in each year since 1960;
(5) what was the percentage change in labour productivity on United Kingdom registered merchant shipping in each year since 1960;
(6) for each year since 1960, what were the numbers of persons employed by the United Kingdom merchant shipping fleet; and of these, how many were shore-based and how many were sea-going;
(7) what was the size, in million dead weight tonnes, of the merchant fleets in (a) 1960, (b) 1965, (c) 1970, (d) 1975, (e)1980 and (f) 1982 of (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) France, (iii) Italy, (iv) West Germany, (v) Denmark, (vi) Sweden, (vii) Norway, (viii) the Netherlands and (ix) Greece.
§ Mr. SproatI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.