§ Mr. Allan Robertsasked the Paymaster General if he will list the loss of jobs in the tabacco industry in the United Kingdom, by years, since 1979; and what is his estimate of the extent to which such losses are attributable to cheap imported cigarettes.
§ Mr. LeeThe estimated number of employees in employment in the tobacco industry in Great Britain are as follows:
Year June Employees in Employment '000 Change on year '000 1979 31.0 — 1980 31.1 +0.1 1981 29.7 -1.4 1982 28.6 -1.1 1983 27.8 -0.8 1984 23.5 -4.3 1985 20.7 -2.8 1986 17.3 -3.4 These estimates are subject to considerable potential estimation error due to the relatively small number of employees in the industry. Estimates are not available for Northern Ireland.
There have been many factors influencing production methods and demand for tobacco goods over the period and it is not possible to say what proportion of job losses have been due to increased competition from abroad.