§ Mr. Parryasked the Paymaster General if, pursuant to the reply given by the hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Lee) on 21 January, Official Report, column 568, he will estimate the number of jobs lost indirectly associated with tobacco manufacture since 1979; and what is his estimate of the extent to which such losses are attributable to the import of cheap cigarettes.
§ Mr. LeeEstimates of the number of employees indirectly supported by tobacco manufacture are not available.
Employment in the various industries which supply tobacco manufacturers has, in some cases, grown since 1979 and, in others, declined. This performance has partly depended on the ability of those industries to win orders from many markets, of which tobacco manufacture is only one.
Direct employment losses in tobacco manufacture since 1979 are the result of numerous factors, principally declining cigarette consumption but also rising productivity in the industry and increased import penetration. It is not possible separately to identify the employment impact of each of these factors.