§ Mr. MorganTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will place a copy in the Library of the information letter on the stage 2 privatisation options exercise circulated to all members of the staff of Companies house in the last week of April; what date he has set for the completion of the stage 2 exercise; arid if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Neil HamiltonI have placed in the Library a copy of the notice to staff requested by the hon. Member. The consultants have been asked to complete their report by the end of July.
§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the state of the British leather goods manufacturing industry.
§ Mr. Sainsbury[holding answer 6 may 1993]: The leather goods manufacturing industry (Standard Industrial Classification Group 442) had total United Kingdom sales of £213 million in 1991. Employment, in 1990, of 10,800 is concentrated largely in small units, three quarters of which have fewer 10 employees and none over a 100. International trade is significant: imports account for some 77 per cent of United Kingdom consumption and the United Kingdom industry exports 54 per cent. of its output. An ecouraging feature is that since 1986 exports have been growing more rapadily than imports—13 per cent. per annum and 8 per cent per annum respective respectively.