§ 32. Mr. David Marshallasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the total number of job losses in the manufacturing sector in Scotland since May 1979 to the latest available date; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. LangJune 1979 is the closest date to May 1979 for which the information requested is available. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Motherwell, North (Mr. Hamilton) on 3 February. Business surveys released last month suggest improved prospects for manufacturing orders and output in the early months of 1987, particularly in the case of exports.