§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give an estimate of the number of people employed in the United Kingdom machine tool manufacturing industry in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement concerning Government policy towards that industry.
§ Mr. Leigh[holding answer 26 November 1990]: The Department of Employment estimates that the number of employees in the machine tool manufacturing industry in Great Britain in each year since 1979 was as follows:
Machine Tool Manufacturing Sector Great Britain Activity heading 3221 (SIC80) June Thousands 1979 37.6 1980 37.0 1981 32.4 1982 30.3 1983 26.4 1984 23.3 1985 24.1 1986 23.9 1987 23.1 1988 23.8 1989 24.0 1990 23.5 Notes:
1. Similar estimates are not available for Northern Ireland or for people other than employees in employment.
2. Estimates at this level of industrial detail are subject to substantial estimation error.
Government policy towards the machine tool manufacturing industry, as for industry as a whole, is to set the framework for free and fair competition and the encouragement of enterprise. A range of Government schemes for encouraging enterprise and spreading best practice is available to companies in the industry.