§ Mr. Allan Stewartasked the Paymaster General what information he has as to the total numbers of people employed by independent financial intermediaries and as to the number of self-employed independent financial intermediaries.
§ Mr. TrippierThe Department's employment statistics are analysed according to the 1980 standard industrial classification (SIC) and independent financial intermediaries are not separately identified.
In September 1986, the latest date for which estimates are available, there were 921,000 employees in employment in Great Britain in banking and finance (Class 81 of the 1981 SIC), insurance except for compulsory social security (class 82), and business services auxiliary to these industries (activity headings 8310 and 8320).
The published estimates of the self-employed, which are not available in as much detail as those for employees in employment, show that in September 1986 there were an estimated 281,000 self-employed people in banking., finance, insurance, business services and leasing (division 8 of the 1980 SIC) in Great Britain.
On a different basis, estimates of the self-employed derived from the spring 1985 "Labour Force Survey" (the latest available) indicate that 15 per cent, of the total for division 8 were employed in banking and finance, insurance except for compulsory social security, and business services auxiliary to these industries.