§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what is the approximate number of jobs currently being carried out in the United Kingdom by robots;
(2) what is the average number of jobs lost on the installation of a robot in British industry.
§ Mr. ButcherInformation of this kind is not available. Each of the estimated 1,152 robots in use in British industry at the end of 1982 is carrying out industrial tasks but this does not mean that their introduction has reduced employment correspondingly. Experience to date suggests that robots improve competitiveness of companies using them thus increasing job security. Failure to use new technology is likely to lead to substantial job loss.
§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the annual growth rate in the robot population in the United Kingdom in 1981–82 and 1982–83.
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§ Mr. ButcherFigures compiled by the British Robot Association show a 61 per cent. increase in the United Kingdom robot population from 713 in 1981 to 1,152 by the end of 1982. Figures for 1983 will not be available until February 1984.
§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information is available as to the number of robots per 10,000 people employed in manufacturing in (a) Sweden, (b) Japan, (c) Germany, (d) the United States of American, (e) France and (f) the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. ButcherIn 1981, the latest year for which the comparative figures requested are available, the number of robots per 10,000 people employed in manufacturing were:
Number Sweden 17.7 Japan 8.7 Germany 2.8 United States of America 2.5 France 1.2 United Kingdom 1.2 Sources:
Robot population: British Robot Association.
Employment in Manufacturing Industry: OECD.