§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many persons were employed in cane sugar refining in 1972; how many are now employed in the industry; and what is the extent to which the change relates to the European Economic Community sugar policies.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithAt present, about 3,800 people are employed in the cane-refining industry. This figure includes those in the Liverpool refinery whose closure has been announced. In 1972 the figure was about 6,200. This change has been influenced by a number of factors, not least by the decline of 400 million tonnes in annual sugar consumption in the United Kingdom over the same period.