27. Mr. R. C. Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement showing the extent of 444W the increase or decline in the labour force employed in the shipbuilding and ship-repairing industries during the past 10 years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Jim LesterThe following table shows the numbers of people employed in employed in the shipbuilding and ship-repairing and marine engineering industries in the years 1970 to 1979 inclusive.
Year and Numbers Employed June 1970 181,000 June 1971 183,000 June 1972 177,000 June 1973 177,000 June 1974 175,000 June 1975 174,000 June 1976 175,000 June 1977 175,000* June 1978 175,000* April 1979 168,000* *Provisional