§ 20. Mr. Geraint DaviesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the value of sterling on trends in manufacturing output in the past 12 months. [106904]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThere is strong evidence to suggest that manufacturers on the whole are coping well with the strength of sterling. Manufacturing output rose by 1.1 per cent. in the three months to November, compared to the previous three months, while export volumes have risen significantly through 1999.