HC Deb 25 February 1932 vol 262 cc664-5
Mr. McENTEE

I beg to move, in page 9, line 38, at the end, to insert the words: (e) The wages, hours, and conditions of labour of the persons employed. This would be very useful information for the Board of Trade and also subsequently for the House of Commons. The Clause says that the Board of Trade shall present a summary of the information obtained by them in respect of any year. I know that this information, as far as it applies to individual firms and employers, will be strictly private; but as we are to have a summary of the information it would be useful to have a summary of the number of persons employed and the actual conditions under which they are employed. We are to have a summary as regards the quantity and value of the output, the quantity and cost of the materials, and the quantity and cost of the fuel and electricity consumed, but merely the number of workmen employed. I suggest that we should have information also in regard to the wages, hours and conditions of labour of persons employed, which will be useful not only to this House but to the Board of Trade.

Lieut.-Colonel WATTS-MORGAN

I beg to second the Amendment.

Mr. HORE-BELISHA

I appreciate the fact that the hon. Member wants to have laid before Parliament, simultaneously with the other information referred to in this Sub-section, particulars as to wages and other matters of industrial interest, but in point of fact that information is now available. The Ministry of Labour regularly collects all the statistics for which the hon. Member asks, and they are published in the Ministry of Labour Gazette at regular intervals and in the Statistical Abstract. Investigation into these particular matters is made at regular periods, and on a most comprehensive scale. The last investigation affected between 4,000,000 and 5,000,000 workpeople as to their wages, and there is an investigation in process at the present time. In addition, the Ministry of Transport collects all particulars in regard to railways, and the Ministry of Mines in regard to the coal-mining industry, and, lastly, in a number of specific industries, the woollen and worsted and pottery industries for instance, particulars are collated and published monthly. In these circumstances I hope the hon. Member will appreciate the fact that the Board of Trade would be going outside its proper functions and would be trespassing on the functions of the Ministry of Labour if it were to add this to the tasks it has already to perform.

Mr. LAWSON

The argument of the Parliamentary Secretary is based upon false premises, because he says that these figures are at the disposal of the parties concerned. That is not the case. The Ministry of Labour does not get information as to the whole of the wages and arrangements in all the industries of this country. That is one of their difficulties in dealing with the question of wages. They only get the information in regard to arrangements made between certain trade unions and the employers.

Amendment negatived.

Amendments made: In page 10, line 8, after the word "shall," insert the words "for each offence."

In line 11, after the word "pounds," insert the words: or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months or to both such fine and imprisonment."—[Major Elliot.]