asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the cash aid given from Government funds to the timber-using industry in Scotland; and what is his latest estimate of the number of jobs in this industry.

Statistics of all the various forms of financial support directly or indirectly available to industry from Government sources are not held in such a form that the total assistance given to timber-using firms can be estimated without disproportionate effort. For information regarding the number of employees in employment in timber, furniture, etc., I refer the hon. Member to the tables regularly published in the Scottish Economic Bulletin.