§ 24. Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the most recent quarterly industrial trends survey by the CBI in Scotland. [65851]
§ Mr. MacdonaldI have noted the results of the January 1999 CBI Scottish Industrial Trends Survey which were released this morning.
With one quarter of the world now in recession, no country is immune from the effects of the current instability in the world economy. I fully appreciate the difficulties this is causing for Scottish manufacturers.
The Government are taking firm action to ensure that the economy is capable of sustained and steady growth. The recent cuts in interest rates are possible because of the tough decisions we have taken.