§ Mr. Emeryasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he is taking with the Supply Departments regarding wage rates, so as to maintain the purchasing value of money and to avoid a rise in the cost of living with other evils of inflation?
§ Sir K. WoodRates of wages on Government contracts are not fixed by the Contract Departments. Under the Fair Wages Resolution of the House it is a condition of contracts for Government work that the rates of wages paid should not be less favourable than those settled by joint agreement or observed by good employers in the industries concerned. By agreement with the Ministry of Labour's Joint Consultative Committee, which consists of representatives of the British Employers' Federation and of the Trades Union Congress, wage rates have continued to be regulated by the joint collective machinery in each industry. The Ministry of Labour's recent Conditions of National Arbitration Order provides for arbitration in cases in which no settlement is otherwise reached.