§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Chancellor for the Exchequer, pursuant to his pre-Budget report, paragraph 4.19, what was the percentage of(a) skilled and (b) semi-skilled manual workers suffering from (i) low literacy and (ii) low numeracy in (A) France, (B) Germany, (C) Japan and (D) the USA in 1996. [19159]
§ Mr. Geoffrey RobinsonThe Government is committed to raising literacy and numeracy levels to ensure that Britain has a flexible labour force capable of competing effectively in the global economy. The table compares literacy and numeracy levels in Britain, Germany and the USA. Figures for France and Japan are not available on a consistent basis.