§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was Scotland's share of United Kingdom exports in each year since 1974; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 24 November 1994]: As shown in the table, Scottish exports continue to rise. The Scottish Council Development and Industry's survey of Scottish manufactured exports revealed that, in 1993, exports reached a new high of almost £11.5 billion. The growth rate of 19.2 per cent. from the previous year indicates that the opportunities presented by a competitive currency and lower interest rates over the past two years have been grasped by Scottish industry.
Scottish manufactured exports have grown faster in the last two years than in the previous six
Scotland's share of United Kingdom exports 1994–95 Year Per cent. Share Year Per cent. Share 1974 10.4 1984 9.6 1975 11.2 1985 9.6 1976 12.3 1986 8.9 1977 11.5 1987 9.6 1978 9.5 1988 10.0 1979 9.1 1989 9.4 1980 9.0 1990 9.5 1981 9.8 1991 9.6 1982 9.3 1992 10.1 1983 9.6 1993 10.3
§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the value of Scottish exports to the Scottish economy in(a) absolute terms and (b) as a percentage of gross domestic product in each year since 1979.
§ Mr Lang[holding answer 24 November 1994]: As Scottish gross domestic product is not calculated on an expenditure measure, it is not possible to make direct comparisons with this data.
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Value of Scottish Exports 1979–93 Year Value Current Prices £ million 1979 3,410 1980 3,762 1981 4,024 1982 4,065 1983 4,532 1984 4,953 1985 5,522 1986 5,300 1987 6,393 1988 7,166 1989 7,664 1990 8,574 1991 8,833
Value of Scottish Exports 1979–93 Year Value Current Prices £ million 1992 9,682 1993 11,540
§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the value to Scotland's economy of exports from the(a) food and drink, (b) chemicals, (c) oil and gas, (d) engineering, (e) electronics, (f) financial services and (g) tourism sectors; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 24 November 1994]: Strong growth recorded in all Scotland's major exporting industries over the period.
Sectoral performances in 1993 reveal food and drink exports were worth some £2.5 billion, of which £2.1 billion is whisky; chemicals worth £1.3 billion; engineering, including mechanical, transport equipment and motor vehicle parts £1.4 billion; electronics, including computers, £4.9 billion; tourism £670 million provisional figure—financial services worth £285 million, rising to around £393.7 million if legal and accountancy figures are included.
Oil and gas sector exports in the period were estimated to be worth some £850 million. This figure relates to exports generated by service sector and supply companies in the world marketplace. Such Scottish companies export around 20 per cent. of their annual turnover.