Written question asked by Michael John Foster (Labour) on Thursday, 27 July 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 November 2000. It was answered by Alan Johnson (Labour) on Thursday, 2 November 2000 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, If he will assess the performance of manufacturing industry in Worcestershire. (Failed OPQ).

Answer: Mr. Michael J. Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assess the performance of manufacturing industry in Worcestershire. [133925] Mr. Alan Johnson: There are no plans to assess the performance of manufacturing industry, specifically, at the national, regional or sub-regional level. The Annual Census of Production, which is compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as part of the Annual Business Inquiry, does give some indication of relative performance of manufacturing industry in that it provides data on gross value added per employee on a national and regional basis. This information is freely available in publications such as "Regional Trends" and the "Regional Competitiveness" Indicators. This information can be analysed at a sub-regional level but the ONS does charge for this service. However, the DTI does pay for a sub-regional analysis on a Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) area.

Secondary information