§ 24. Mr. Kenneth Bakerasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many proposed productivity agreements are at present being helped to function by the intervention of her Department; and how many civil servants are employed on this task.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerIn September my right hon. Friend's Manpower and Productivity Service, as part of its advisory work, discussed productivity agreements in 29 cases and closely related matters in 69 others. The service has about 60 civil servants in the regions to carry out this and other functions.
§ Mr. BakerI thank the hon. Gentleman for that reply. Will the productivity agreement, which presumably will emerge 872 from the engineering settlement, be nationally negotiated and will the Ministry have a hand in it?
§ Mr. WalkerNo agreement has yet emerged. It has not yet reached the stage of the involvement of incomes policy, and I am sure that the whole House would agree that, in view of the delicate situation with which we are confronted, it would not be helpful if I were to comment.
§ Mr. HigginsDoes the hon. Gentleman agree that, if an increased payment is made as a result of the productivity agreement before the productivity is achieved, this will be inflationary, and would such a payment be against the prices and incomes policy or not?
§ Mr. WalkerMy right hon. Friend will be making a statement at the end of Question Time, if she catches your eye, Mr. Speaker, about the situation in the engineering industry and the progress of the negotiations.
§ Mr. HefferWould my hon. Friend give an assurance that, with the introduction of productivity agreements, particularly in the construction industry, there will be the fullest consultation with the workers on the sites who will operate those agreements as well as with their national trade union leaders?
§ Mr. WalkerFull consultation is an essential element in obtaining full cooperation, and we shall seek through the normal industrial channels to have the fullest consultation possible.