asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the increase, or otherwise, in (a) manufacturing output and (b) productivity in Scotland in 1984 compared with 1983; and how those figures compare with those for the United Kingdom.

Manufacturing output increased by 6 per cent. in Scotland in 1984 and productivity by 8·5 per cent. Broadly comparable figures for the United Kingdom were 3·4 per cent. and 4·8 per cent. respectively. Exact comparison is not possible since the Scottish output index is not adjusted for stock change, whereas the United Kingdom index is, and the Scottish figure for productivity does not take account of the self-employed, whereas the United Kingdom figure does.