HC Deb 05 December 1977 vol 940 c565W
Mr. Sillars

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will estimate the level of industrial capacity in use in each region of the United Kingdom; and if he will show how this compares with each of the past two years.

Mr. Cryer

No official estimates are available. In its industrial trends surveys the Confederation of British Industry includes estimates of the proportion of manufacturing industry working below a satisfactory level of capacity for the United Kingdom as a whole and for Scotland. The figures are as follows:

PERCENTAGE OF FIRMS WORKING BELOW CAPACITY
Scotland United Kingdom
October 1977 70 69
October 1976 61 68
October 1975 68 73