HC Deb 22 November 1956 vol 560 cc1924-5
36. Mr. G. Darling

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in order to measure accurately the effects of price changes on the living conditions of wage-earners at different income levels, he will arrange to obtain reliable statistics to show the numbers of adult workers earning less than £8 a week, those earning between £8 and £9, those earning between £9 and £10, and so on in similar steps, respectively.

The Minister of Labour and National Service (Mr. Iain Macleod)

I cannot undertake to carry out the wage census necessary to provide the information desired. The Report on the 1953 household expenditure inquiry, however, will contain a table showing details of the expenditure of some 7,000 households, the head of which is a wage-earner, analysed in seven groups according to the income of the household. I hope that the Report will be ready for publication early next year.

Mr. Darling

Does the Minister realise that his Answer has nothing to do with the Question whatsoever, and that that information will now be completely out of date? Surely, he will agree that in any discussions which must now go on about wages, it is necessary, in the interests of industrial peace, that we should have full and accurate information about actual earnings of workers? Will he not do something to make sure that we get the information, because the national averages now used are quite misleading?

Mr. Macleod

On the contrary, the information which will be published is the latest and most exhaustive analysis of expenditure which is available in this country. I have no intention of putting upon employers the immense burden which would be necessary in order to provide the precise information for which the hon. Member for Hillsborough (Mr. G. Darling) asks.

Mr. Darling

The Question does not refer to expenditure; it refers to earnings. Has the right hon. Gentleman not heard that employers of labour now use calculating machines to calculate wages, and that the work involved would be very slight indeed?

Mr. Macleod

Indeed it would not. We ask the employers for the aggregate wage bills and for the number of wage earners, and from those an average—I agree that it is an average—can be calculated. We do not ask them to specify the different earnings groups into which their employees fall.

Mr. Darling

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment.