§ 30. Mr. Norman Hoggasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about redundancies in the electronics and computer industries in Scotland.
§ Mr. Allan StewartThe pace of technological change in the electronics industry inevitably means that some companies will be forced to shed labour as products and586W processes become outdated while others will increase their employment as new products are developed. This, coupled with the effects of acute world recession in the markets for certain electronics products, notably semiconductors and integrated circuits, has resulted in a higher level of job losses in 1985 than in the past. There are signs, however, that markets are beginning to recover and the medium to longer term prospect is for further growth in the electronics industry in Scotland.