§ Q3. Mr. Laneasked the Prime Minister what steps he has taken this year to co-ordinate the work of Ministers concerned with wage or salary claims.
§ The Prime MinisterMy right hon. Friends already work closely together on these matters.
§ Mr. LaneIs the Prime Minister satisfied with the outcome of the recent Post Office dispute which cost £2 million in lost revenue, in which there was a failure of communications, not so much between the Postmaster-General and the union as between the Postmaster-General and his colleagues, and from which, as usual, the main sufferers were the public?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman is entitled to form his own inaccurate deductions from the facts. He will also be aware that this matter was very fully debated on 13th February.
§ Mr. MolloyShould not the work of Ministers involved in salaries and wages 1278 control now gradually diminish so that the trade union movement can assess its own way forward and go its own way and carry out the job that it was designed to do, after acknowledging that some of the efforts of this Government were required at a very tricky stage in our economy?
§ The Prime MinisterWe are only too anxious that the T.U.C. should do so, as I stated in my hon. Friend's constituency on 3rd March, I think it was, two years ago—[Laughter.]—at about 9 o'clock at night. My hon. Friend will also no doubt be aware, having heard so much in 1966 about a slogan 9, 5, 1, which was itself inaccurate, that as a result of the coordination referred to in the Question the figures for last year, to which I hope the Leader of the Opposition will give full publicity and the support of his ability, were wages 7 per cent., prices 5 per cent., production 5 per cent., productivity 7 per cent.