§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what targets he has set the Insolvency Service executive agency for 1996–97. [26723]
§ Mr. OppenheimAgainst the Insolvency Service's planning assumption that compulsory insolvencies will total 27,500 cases in the year to 31 March 1997, I have set it the target of completing 26,500 cases with no more than 9 per cent. of uncompleted cases being more than 36 months old. I have also set it the target of reducing the unit cost of bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation case administration in 1996–97 by 8 per cent. Resources will increasingly be concentrated on the service's investigative effort and I expect the number of proceedings taken for the disqualification of directors of failed companies to exceed last year's outcome of 1,390, itself an increase of some 50 per cent. on the previous year. In concentrating on the more
Year-on-year changes in employees in employment, December of each year (thousands) Industry SIC92 Code 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 52 Retail (except 52.7) -11 61 18 1 Restaurants, cafes, takeaway food shops 55.3 7 10 10 12 Hotels and other residential accommodation 55.1-55.2 10 0 11 23 Bars 55.4 -24 -30 4 21 Manufacture of wearing apparel, dressing and dyeing of fur 18 -11 11 1 -1 Source: ONS.