§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing the number of foreign-owned plants established each year in Wales since 1983, and the number in each zone which have been closed down since 1983;
Manufacturing units in Wales 1986 Gross Value Added as a percentage of gross output Payments to ATC's as a percentage of gross output Payments to Operatives as a percentage of gross output Payments to ATC's in pounds per head Payments to Operatives in pounds per head pounds per head (per cent.) (per cent.) (per cent.) (pounds) (pounds) All units 31.0 5.0 9.9 10,960 8,181 Japanese-owned units 18.8 3.0 6.0 8,979 6,659 All United Kingdom units classified: "Electronic consumer goods and other electronic equipment not elsewhere specified". 16.6 4.6 5.3 10,304 6,527 Source: Annual Census of Production, 1986.
Notes:
ATC = Administrative, technical and clerical staff. These payments have been used to indicate salaries, and payments to operatives to indicate wages.
The third line of figures is a more appropriate comparison for Japanese-owned units in Wales since the category is the dominant one for these units.
578W(2) if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each year since 1983 the number of new plants established in Wales by foreign-owned firms which were not already manufacturing in other countries in the United Kingdom and the total numbers now employed in such plants compared to the numbers employed in 1983.
§ Mr. Peter Walker[holding answer 29 March 1988]: The number of new plants and major new developments and expansions by overseas companies commenced during the period 1983 to 1987 were as follows:
Number 1983 21 1984 45 1985 43 1986 36 1987 52 TOTAL 197 In addition to this investment, a further 17 companies were acquired by overseas investors during the period.
Of the six plants which subsequently closed, three were located in Gwent, and one each in the counties of Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan. In 1987 plants established by foreign firms since 1983, and still open, employed 3,500 as compared with 100 in 1983. However, it is not possible to say which of these firms were already manufacturing elsewhere in the United Kingdom without incurring disproportionate costs.