§ 33. Mr. Kenneth Carlisleasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest information available on the trends in the profitability of British industry.
§ Mr. Peter ReesGross trading profits of industrial and commercial companies, net of stock appreciation and in current prices, are provisionally estimated to have risen by about 5 per cent. in the fourth quarter of 1983 to give an estimated increase of around 25 per cent. in 1983 as a whole.