§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of employees who have left each of the nationalised industries since 6th November 1972, expressing the numbers as a percentage of the work force in each industry.
§ Mr. Maurice MacmillanI regret that the statistics compiled by my Department do not provide the information requested. However, information about numbers employed is available monthly for the industries included in the Index of Production. The statistics are analysed according to the Minimum List Headings of the Standard Industrial Classification and do not distinguish between the public and private sectors. The following table shows the numbers employed in coal mining, gas, electricity and iron and steel manufacture at September 1972, November 1972 and September 1973, the latest date for which figures are available.
EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN GREAT BRITAIN September 1972 November 1972 September 1973 Coal mining 326,700 325,600 311,300 Iron and steel and steel tubes 302,700 302,400 302,400 Gas 110,000 109,100 105,000 Electricity 191,700 191,200 187,900 The figures are provisional.