§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many(a) shops and (b) manufacturers dealing with optical equipment were trading in Britain in 1987; and what are the current figures.
§ Mr. Norman Lamont[holding answer 20 April 1990]: What information is available is shown in the table.
Total number of legal units registered for VAT as at end of April 1989 1987 11989 (a) Shops Opticians 22,200 2,476 Chemists and photographic shops 8,717 8,528 (b) Manufacturers Surgical instruments and appliances 409 402 Scientific and industrial instruments and systems 2,807 2,961 Photographic and document copying equipment 124 155 1 Latest year for which figures are available. 2 Opticians were not required to register for VAT in 1987. This figure, which is comparable to that shown for 1989, is estimated from entries in the Opticians Register for 1987. Source: CSO Register of Businesses.