§ 10. Mr. Shepherdasked the Minister of Labour the average weekly hours of work per man in industry in the United Kingdom over the latest period for which figures are available.
§ Sir W. MoncktonThe average weekly hours actually worked, including overtime, in October, 1951, by manual wage-earners in manufacturing industries generally, and in a number of the principal non-manufacturing industries in the United Kingdom, was 47.8 for men aged 21 years and over. The results of the inquiry made last October were published in the Ministry of Labour Gazette for March, 1952.
§ Mr. ShepherdDo not these figures rebut the ill-informed views, so often expressed, that people in this country are only working 40 hours a week, and are not these figures about eight hours a week more than the United States, six hours more than France, and about equal to Western Germany?
§ Sir W. MoncktonI do not think I am able to work out the comparisons which my hon. Friend has done, but I can say 1071 that this figure of 47 is the figure which has obtained for a number of years past.
§ Mr. FernyhoughWould the Minister not agree that the figure would be better still if some thousands of workers in the Lancashire textile industry had not been on short-time for the last three or four months?