§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what percentage of the questions set down on the Order Paper for priority written answer by him in (a) Session 1983–84 and (b) the current Session to date have initially received a holding reply.
§ Mr. ButcherThe information is as follows:
Parliamentary sessions 1983–84 1984–24 May 1985 Number Per cent Number Per cent. Number of priority written questions 1,263 — 746 — Number receiving holding reply 73 6 129 17 SourceDepartmental statistics. It should be noted that the count produced by the POLIS system in the House Library will differ from the above figures, in that on POLIS:
(a) the oral count includes only those oral questions actually reached, plus supplementaries counted as separate questions, and
(b) the written count includes Orals not reached, Writtens, Priority Writtens and holding replies all as separate questions.
The overall POLIS count will therefore exceed the departmental count.
§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Parliamentary questions have been answered by Ministers in his Department in each of the last three complete Sessions, and the current ession to date; if he will break these figures down into questions tabled as oral questions, priority written questions and ordinary written questions, respectively; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ButcherThe information is as follows:
Parliamentary Sessions 1981–82* 1982–83* 1983–84 1985— 24 May 1985 Total number of Parliamentary
questions
answered†
3,170 2,216 3,248 1,657 Comprising of: Oral
664 476 518 345 Priority written 1,148 819 1,263 766 Written 1,358 921 1,467 546
Value £ million 1979 *1984 (a) (b) Crude balance (a) (b) Crude balance imports (cif) exports (fob) £ million as per cent. of (a) imports (cif) exports (fob) £ million as per cent. of (a) (i) Cereals and cereal preparations 668 264 -404 60 629 993 +364 58 (ii) Agricultural products 6,264 1,814 -4,450 71 8,592 3,260 -5,332 62 (iii) Other 42,160 40,988 -1,172 3 70,113 67,252 -2,862 4 of which: (iv) Motor vehicles 2,997 1,519 -1,479 49 4,357 1,485 -2,872 66 (v) Electrical goods 3,643 3,633 -9 0 9,988 7,331 -2,657 27 (vi) Steel 998 1,080 +83 8 1,244 1,288 +44 3 (vii) Coal 136 62 -74 54 493 72 -421 85 Sources: The following SITC/R2 data in the United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics; (i) Division 04, (ii) Sections 0 & 4 and Division 22, (iv) Groups 781, 782, 783 and Sub-group 784.1, (v) Divisions 75, 76, 77 and Group 716, (vi) Groups 672–675, Sub-groups 678.2, 3, 4 and 799.3, and Items 676.01 (part), .02 (part), 679.42, and 791.99 (part), (vii) Sub-groups 322.1 and 322.2.
14W* These figures are the combined figures of the Departments of Trade and Industry, which were amalgamated at the start of the 1983–84 Parliamentary Session.
†Questions set down in the Order Paper.
Source: Departmental statistics. It should be noted that the count produced by the POLIS system in the House Library will differ from the above figures, in that on POLIS:
(a) the oral count includes only those oral questions actually reached,plus supplementaries counted as separate questions, and
(b) the written count includes orals not reached, writtens, priority writtens and holding replies all counted as separate questions.
The overall POLIS count will therefore exceed the departmental count.