§ Mr. Spearing asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the calculations and assumptions that underlie Her Majesty's Government's estimate quoted in the House by the Lord President of the Council on 19 October that the United Kingdom's membership of the European Economic Community has increased employment by two and a half million; and if he will specify the industries and numbers concerned.
§ Mr. Alison [pursuant to his reply, 22 October, 1981, c. 161]: I understand that my right hon. Friend referred to an estimate that about 2½ million jobs now depend on our exports to other countries in the Community. This was an illustration of the benefit we receive from trade with our partners in the Community and hence what we would put at risk if we left. This estimate rests on the reasonable assumption that exports to Europe have the same significance for the United Kingdom employment as for our gross domestic product, due account having been taken of the import content of these exports. It is not possible to be more precise in quantifying the detailed effects on employment which might result from withdrawal.