§ Miss Boothroydasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms have declared bankruptcies in the west midlands region between 1974 and 1979 and 1979 to the latest available date.
§ Mr. FletcherThe total number of bankruptcy cases (net of rescissions and consolidations) administered by county courts in the region were as follows:
Number 1974–9 inclusive 2,430 1980–3 inclusive 1,806 For England and Wales as a whole, between 75 and 80 per cent. of cases relate to unincorporated businesses as opposed to private individuals.