§ Mr. Beaneyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from engineering trade associations about the quality of his Department's industrial and trade statistics.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantMy officials maintain regular and mutually beneficial contact with the major trade associations about the quality of the official statistics relating to the industries which they represent. In recent months two engineering trade associations have expressed concern about the amount of detail published; in both cases suppression of detail was necessary in order to avoid disclosure of the activities of individual firms. A third association made representations about the accuracy of certain figures; the underlying difficulties have been satisfactorily resolved following consultation with the association.
§ Mr. Beaneyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest date of industrial trade statistics made available to the British Internal Combustion Engine Manufacturers' Association.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantThe latest published statistics of sales of internal combustion engines relate to the third quarter of 1972.
§ Mr. Beaneyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest date of industrial trade statistics made available to the Machine Tool Trades' Association.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantThe latest published statistics of deliveries and orders of metal working machine tools relate to February of this year.
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§ Mr. Beaneyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest date of industrial trade statistics made available to the British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers' Association.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantThe latest published statistics of sales of domestic appliances relate to the fourth quarter of 1972. Similar information for electrical machinery and for wiring accessories and miscellaneous electrical goods covering the third and fourth quarters of last year will be published soon.