§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the decline in employment in the spinning, weaving and finishing sec-tors of the textile industry in the North-West during the past 12 months (a) in percentage terms and (b) in persons now unemployed.
§ Mr. GoldingIt is estimated that between August 1977 and August 1978 employment in the textile industry in the North-West fell by 7,000–6.3 per cent.—to 111,400. Separate figures for the different parts of the industry are not available. Changes in the number of unemployed over the same period are as follows:
Numberof registered unemployed Industry in which last employed August 1977 August 1978 Absolute change Textiles 7,636 7,734 +98 Of which: Spinning 2,311 2,308 -3 Weaving 1,814 1,739 -75 Textile finishing 996 1,093 +97