§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish in the Official Report the total employment in the cotton and allied 555W textiles sector, the number of companies engaged and the number of closures in the last five years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe following table gives, for minimum list headings—MLHs—412 and 413 of the 1968 standard industrial classification, the provisional numbers of employees in employment in Great Britain in September each year from 1979.
Employees in employment in Spinning and Doubling on the Cotton and Flax Systems (MLH 412) and Weaving of Cotton, Linen and Man-made Fibres (MLH 413) September each year Number 1979 72,200 1980 56,800 1981 45,500 1982 41,700 1983 40,300 Information about the number of companies for which these employees work is not available.
Statistics relating to the number of closures could be provided only at disproportionate cost.