§ 7. Mr. Norwoodasked the Minister of Labour if, in view of the importance of regional planning and the need for full information on which to base it, he will take steps to publish average weekly earnings of male manual workers in the city of Norwich and the county of Norfolk for a suitable date in 1964.
§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour (Mr. Ernest Thornton)Reliable figures of average earnings are not available for areas smaller than "regions", and I am afraid, therefore, I cannot publish the information requested by my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. NorwoodIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the region to which he refers in our case stretches from Poole to Cromer, a distance of more than 200 miles, that it includes a large proportion of the industrial fringes of London and that all the average figure given is, therefore, totally misleading so far as Norfolk is concerned? Would not the hon. Gentleman agree with me that a more local figure, if not so accurate, is preferable to statistics so general as to be virtually useless?
§ Mr. ThorntonI quite appreciate that the eastern and southern region covers a very large area indeed. We shall certainly bear this in mind in any review that is undertaken, but I would remind the hon. Gentleman that these statistics are based on samples and on voluntary information given on a confidential basis. They must not be given for so small an area that an individual firm can be identified.