§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will compare the number of people employed in each State corporation for which he has responsibility, including British Leyland, Rolls-Royce and Alfred Herbert at the date of acquisition or nationalisation and at the most recent date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldWhen the Government acquired the majority shareholding in British Leyland, Rolls-Royce and Alfred Herbert the number of employees was as follows:
Date of acquisition Number of employees (to nearest 100) British Leyland … August 1975 191,500* Rolls-Royce … March 1971 64,000† Alfred Herbert … December 1975 6,300 * Average weekly number of employees in 1975 † Average weekly number of employees in 1971 The Government's shareholding in these companies was subsequently transferred to the National Enterprise Board and the number of people currently employed by the companies is a matter for the board.
In formation in respect of the nationalised industries is a matter for each corporation.