§ 54. Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have become self-employed during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeThe number of self-employed people in the United Kingdom is estimated to have risen by 124,000 from September 1987 to September 1988, the latest period for which figures are available. It is estimated that over 3 million people are now self-employed and the number is still rising. The numbers of self-employed people have risen by over 60 per cent. since 1979 and they now represent more than one in nine of the employed work force.