asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the contribution to invisible earnings of the building industry.

Invisible earnings by British contractors on their overseas business and by consulting engineers, architects and surveyors are estimated to have totalled about £800 million in 1978–9. Overseas earnings of all sectors related to the British construction industry—including exports of building materials, plant and machinery—are estimated to have been £2·7 billion. More detailed information is expected to be published in an article in Trade and Industry on 23 November.