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Lord Macdonald welcomes the new Scottish index of manufactured exports
12/05/1999
New statistics issued today show that export sales in current prices by Scotland's Manufacturing sector remained unchanged at £19.0 billion in 1998. The provisional estimates are in a new official series released by the Economics Advice and Statistics Division of The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department.
The main findings are:
· In real terms, the level of export sales by the manufacturing sector increased by 6.7 per cent in 1998.
· Compared with the previous quarter, export sales rose by 25.0 per cent in real terms in 1998 Q4. It should be noted, however, that the series are not seasonally adjusted.
· Total manufactured exports (in current prices) were £19.0 billion in 1998, unchanged from 1997. Within this total, the Electrical and Instrument Engineering sector accounted for £10.0 billion, or 53 per cent.
· In current prices, the sectors with the largest increases in 1998 were Metals & Metal Products (31 per cent), Transport Equipment (27 per cent) and Paper, Printing and Publishing (nine per cent). The largest decreases were in Drink (20 per cent) and Mechanical Engineering (11 per cent).
Commenting on the publication Scottish Business and Industry Minister Lord Macdonald said:
"I welcome the launch today of the new Index of Scottish Manufactured Exports. This series forms an integral part in the development of the Scottish Economic Statistics Programme and confirms our commitment to the development of economic statistics to meet the needs of the Scottish Parliament.
"It is very encouraging to note that, in real terms, Scottish manufactured exports increased by 6.7 per cent in 1998. This was a magnificent achievement in a difficult year for Scottish exporters.
"Increased exports mean more jobs and prosperity in Scotland. The Government is therefore committed to providing the best possible support for our exporters through the activities of Scottish Trade International. Exports also strengthen the long-term competitiveness of the Scottish economy and that is why we have set an additional target of encouraging 500 new companies into export markets by the end of year 2000. Progress towards all our export targets will be monitored by the Scottish Parliament and this new Index will improve the statistical information at the Parliament's disposal."
BACKGROUND
1. The Index of Scottish Manufactured Exports is compiled on the standard industrial classification SIC92.
2. The data presented in the Index of Scottish Manufactured Exports measures sales of goods produced by the Scottish Manufacturing sector for export outwith the UK. The data used to produce these figures are collected by the Office for National Statistics in their Monthly Production Inquiry. The data are deflated to 1995 prices using UK export producer price indices which are also produced by the ONS. The data are not currently seasonally adjusted due to an insufficient number of data points in the series. The figures will be seasonally adjusted when five full years of data are available (i.e. from 2000 Q1 onward) in line with standard GSS practice.
3. The Index of Scottish Manufactured Exports is based on a sample of just under 800 Scottish manufacturing exporters in an average quarter. This sample covers all sizes of unit across manufacturing industry.
4. The data published in this news release are based on 1995 prices and current prices.
5. Provisional figures for the first quarter of 1999 for Scottish Manufactured Exports will be published on 4 August 1999.
News Release: 1007/99
12 May 1999