To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the risk of miscarriage to women working in the Scottish semiconductor industry relative to that of women working in other industries; and if he will make a statement. [81150]

In 1998, the Health and Safety Executive published the results of an investigation into miscarriages among women in the UK semiconductor industry, a copy of which is in the Library. No separate assessment was made for women who worked in Scotland. The study found no evidence that the incidence of miscarriage in workers in the UK semiconductor industry was higher than the national average.