asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the Official Report the total number of employees, and the total number of redundancies declared by the Royal Ordnance Factories, and the Royal Ordnance Factories plc. for each calendar year since 1973 to date for each Royal Ordnance factory and for the United Kingdom as a whole.
Information in the form requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost and effort, but the following may be helpful:
| Average number of employees | Number of redundancies declared1 | |
| 9 months to 31 March 1975 | 18,550 | 13 |
| Year to 31 March 1976 | 20,556 | nil |
| Year to 31 March 1977 | 22,535 | nil |
| Year to 31 March 1978 | 23,169 | nil |
| Year to 31 March 1979 | 23,235 | 509 |
| Year to 31 March 1980 | 22,084 | 122 |
| Year to 31 March 1981 | 21,672 | 1,018 |
| Year to 31 March 1982 | 20,208 | 461 |
| Year to 31 March 1983 | 18,859 | 91 |
| 1 Redundancy figures are those declared in a calendar year. | ||
asked the Secretary of State for Defence in what way he intends to consult Parliament before a final decision on the sale of Royal Ordnance Factories plc. is made.
Parliament has given approval to the Government's policy of moving Royal Ordnance plc. to the private sector and has been kept informed of progress. The necessary decisions needed to achieve the Government's objective will be announced in due course, and will no doubt be the subject of appropriate comment and questions.