§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many manufacturing jobs there were in Scotland in December 1979 and December 1992; what was the proportion of manufacturing jobs as a percentage of the total number of jobs in each of those years; and if he will make a statement about the future of manufacturing industry.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 10 May 19931: The figures showing the number of manufacturing jobs in Scotland in December 1979 and December 1992, and the proportion of manufacturing jobs as a percentage of the total number of jobs in these years are set out in the table. These are taken from the "Civilian Workforce in Employment Estimates" compiled by the Employment Department.
December 1979 1992 Total employees in employment (thousands) 2,094 1,967 Employees in manufacturing (thousands) 596 348 Manufacturing as a percentage of total employers 28.5 per cent. 17.7 per cent.
418W
Scottish Enterprise Members Occupation Salary from 1 April 1993 (£) Chairman (part-time) Professor Donald Iain MacKay, MA, FRSE Chairman, PIEDA plc 47,552 Deputy Chairman Ronald Garrick, CBE Managing Director and Chief Executive, the Weir Group 10,545 Members Professor Andrew Bain Visiting Professor in Economics, Glasgow University 7,030 Tom Farmer, CBE Chairman and Chief Executive, Kwik-Fit 7,030 Charles Gray, JP President, COSLA 7,030 Sir Graham Hills Former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde; Scottish Governor of the BBC 7,030 Glenda Hogarth-Coull, MBE Managing Director, Hogarth Safety Wear 7,030 Barbara Kelly, CBE Member, Equal Opportunities Commission; Chair, Training 2000 7,030 Cameron McLatchie OBE Chairman and Chief Executive British Polythene Industries plc 7,030 Professor John Caiman Shaw, CBE Deputy Governor, Bank of Scotland; Chairman, Scottish Higher Education Funding Council 7,030 Yvonne Strachan Chairwoman, Scottish Convention of Women; Scottish Women's Organiser, TGWU 7,030 Chief Executive (ex-officio member) Crawford Beveridge 93,732 Despite reductions in Scottish manufacturing employment since 1979, output in this sector has increased. This has been achieved by substantial productivity increases. Future manufacturing success will be determined by the ability of Scotland's producers to compete in domestic and overseas markets.
The Government's objective is to provide an overall economic framework in which Scottish manufacturers can flourish. This strategy is succeeding. The latest business survey evidence reveals that Scottish manufacturing firms expect an increase in total new orders, the volume of output and exported goods in forthcoming months.