§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the measures he has taken to reverse the decline of the manufacturing sector in Birmingham since taking office; and if he will make a statement on the results of these measures.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe recent decline of the manufacturing sector in Birmingham, and elsewhere, is primarily the result of the current world-wide recession but a significant feature too is the country's legacy of widespread uncompetitiveness made even more destructive of jobs by the very high settlements of 1980 unaccompanied by any increase in productivity and which can be reversed only by the efforts of management and workforces. The Government's role is to help provide a climate on which enterprise can once again thrive and the decline be reversed by the growth of a strong, healthy and competitive manufacturing sector in Birmingham and throughout the country.