HC Deb 02 May 1972 vol 836 cc121-2W
Mr. Bray

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the numbers of firms in the United Kingdom engaged in footwear manufacture in each of the five years to 31st December, 1971.

Mr. Anthony Grant:

Information is available only in terms of the number of statistical reporting units classified to the footwear industry. Manufacturing establishments so classified, and employing 25 or more persons, totalled 559 in 1968. There has been a change in the basis of reporting since then but it is estimated that the comparable figure for 1971 was 541.