§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people were employed in Wales in overseas companies or their branches in 1970, 1975 and May 1979, respectively; and how many people are at present employed by these companies or their branches.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsFigures on a comparable basis are not available for these dates. The figures for 1979 in the series produced by the business statistics office for years since 1976 are expected to be published early next year. Figures for this year can be estimated only on information available from a variety of sources. At present it is estimated that between 50,000 and 55,000 are employed in manufacturing units owned or controlled by242W foreign companies, in addition to a number employed in non-manufacturing concerns. Several overseas companies are actively recruiting at the present time