HC Deb 31 January 1996 vol 270 cc801-2W
Mr. Home Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many redundancies have been notified by Lothian Electric Machines of Haddington for the eight months to the end of March 1996; what discussions he has had with IBM about the decision to transfer the manufacture of computer keyboards from Scotland to the far east; and if he will make a statement. [10838]

Mr. Kynoch

During the period in question, Lothian Electric Machines of Haddington notified the Department of Employment of 273 redundancies. Decisions by IBM about the sourcing of its purchases are of course a matter for the company, but the hon. Gentleman should be aware that Scottish Enterprise works closely with indigenous companies and major original equipment manufacturers—OEMs—across a range of industrial sectors to improve the competitiveness of local suppliers and, as a result, increase overall the proportion of purchases made by these OEMs from Scottish companies. These sourcing and business development activities have proved highly successful. Scottish Enterprise's manufacturing services group is available to discuss with Lemac what assistance can be made available.