§ Mr. Tom ClarkeTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were employed on a full-time basis in the textile industries of each of the member countries of the European Community in 1979 and 1986.
§ Mr. LeeInternational comparisons of labour market statistics should be treated with caution as it is difficult to obtain data for different countries on a consistent basis.
The available data, shown in the table, do not cover all European Community countries, are limited to 1979 and 1985 and refer to all employees in the textile industries.
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Employees in the textile industries 1979 1985 Belgium 68,400 60,900 Denmark 15,000 14,500 France 298,500 236,600 Germany 338,900 261,400 Ireland 18,500 8,800 Netherlands 34,600 21,500 Spain 245,800 164,800 United Kingdom 339,000 240,100 Source: Employment and Unemployment 1987 (Eurostat).