§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Industry how many people were employed in shipbuilding in each of the EEC countries during 1978; and how many tons of ships were completed in each country in that year.
§ Mr. Michael MarshallThe information is as follows:
MERCHANT SHIPBUILDING Numbers employed in new building work September 1978 '000 Completion (ships 100 gross tons and over) in 1978 '000 compensated gross tons Belgium … 5.1 155 Denmark … 11.5 379 France … 24.4* 440 West Germany … 33.5 1,060 Irish Republic … 0.9 — Italy … Not available 283 Netherlands … 23.6† 455 United Kingdom … 40.0‡ 709 * In establishments employing 150 or more persons. †March 1978; includes some employment on non-merchant ships. ‡Estimated figure. Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.