§ Mr. Hordernasked the Minister of Technology if he will publish a table showing the average annual increase, as a percentage, in manufacturing investment of all the European Economic Community and the European Free Trade Association countries, between December, 1964 and December, 1967, from information available to him from international sources.
Mr. Alan WilliamsThe table below shows the average annual percentage increase, at current prices, between 1964 and 1967 in investment in the manufacturing and construction industries which, subject to the exceptions noted, is the basis on which comparable information is available.
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY West Germany … … … -0.8 France* … … … 6.9 Italy† … … … 1.8 Belgium‡ … … … 12.4 Netherlands† … … … 7.3 Luxembourg Not available EUROPEAN FREE TRADE ASSOCIATION United Kingdom … … … 6.3 Sweden … … … 10.6 Norway … … … 16.2 Denmark? … … … 4.4 Austria|| … … … 1.5 Portugal … … … 14.2 Switzerland Not available *Including fishing and the quarrying of building materials. † Including mining and quarrying and gas, electricity and water; the United Kingdom figure on this basis is 8.6 per cent. ‡ Including gas and steam production and car dealers; excluding the cutting of stone. § Excluding handicrafts and construction. ||Including mining and quarrying.