Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Capital Goods Industries – 18 July 1989

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Capital Goods Industries on 18th July 1989.

Mr. Austin Mitchell To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report the return on capital employed and on trading assets of the capital goods industries less building materials, contracting and construction in 1959, 1968, 1973, 1978 1980 and his estimate for 1988 together with his forecast for 1989 and 1990.

Mr. Major No official statistics exist in the form required. Neither is a forecast made of these numbers. The Bank of England has published data taken from large companies’ accounts which shows the historic cost rate of return for a number of different industrial classifications. The latest data can be found on pages 548–49 of the “Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin” November 1988, volume 28 No. 4. A copy is available in the Library.