§ Miss Wrightasked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the net loss of jobs in manufacturing industry in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands since May 1979.
§ Mr. AlisonPrecise information about job gains and job losses is not available, but an indication of the net effect can be seen by comparing levels of employees in employment at different dates. Between May 1979 and September 1982, the latest date for which a provisional estimate has been made, the number of employees in employment in manufacturing industries—orders III-XIX of the Standard Industrial Classification 1968—in the West Midlands decreased by 249,000. A corresponding figure for Birmingham is not available.