HC Deb 07 April 1981 vol 2 cc258-9W
Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, at the latest date for which figures are available, how many people were employed by (a) the United Kingdom nationalised industries and (b) all other United Kingdom industries in which Her Majesty's Government own more than 50 per cent. of the shares.

Mr. Waddington

In mid-1979 there were 1,777,000 employees in United Kingdom nationalised industries, including the Post Office. I understand that, at the end of 1979, the total number of employees of the National Enterprise Board and its subsidiary companies was just over 13,000. A subsidiary company is one in which the NEB has a share of the equity, whether or not this share exceeds 50 per cent. In addition, BL Ltd. and Rolls-Royce Ltd. employ about 200,000 between them.