Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the UK manufacturing sector since 2010.

The latest official figures for the second quarter of 2014 put manufacturing output at 2.1% above 2010 levels.

Food and drink output was 5.5% above 2010 levels and output in the manufacture of transport equipment sector (chiefly automotive and aerospace) was 30.6% above 2010 levels. Productivity (labour output per hour) within transport equipment has also increased by 28.4% since 2010.

Exports of manufactured goods are 10% higher than in 2010. Aerospace and automotive manufacturing performed very strongly with exports growing by just over 30% in real terms since 2010.