HC Deb 25 February 1982 vol 18 cc445-6W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what is the typical spread in productivity in manufacturing as shown by sector analysis of the latest census of production of the most and least efficient plants as a percentage of the average; and what are the typical quartiles;

(2) whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for (a) mechanical engineering and (b) wool textiles the figure for net output per head, or other measures of productivity, in the latest census of production for (i) the sector average, (ii) the bottom 20 per cent. and (iii) the median and quartiles.

Mr. MacGregor

In 1979 average net output per head was £9,488 for the mechanical engineering sector and £6,148 for the woollen and worsted industry. Further information relating to the medians and quartiles of productivity measures for these industries and for the manufacturing sector as a whole will become available later this year.