§ 16. Mr. Kenneth Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether, in view of the very high wages paid to typists and secretaries in the London area, she will initiate a study group within her Department to determine how rates for women in these occupations compare with rates for men among the lower-paid occupations.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerAlthough not immediately available, information about the earnings of secretaries and typists in the London area could be extracted, but at some expense, from the data collected in the New Earnings Survey carried out by my Department.
§ Mr. LewisIs the Minister aware that we do not really need the information since it is there to be seen all round us? It shows that there are a great many young girls who are being grossly overpaid for work which cannot be compared with the work being done by some young men in London for which they are grossly underpaid? When we are talking about equal pay, can we be sure that the right hon. Lady is also concerned to see equal pay for the boys and the men?
§ Mr. WalkerI do not see any reason why some women should not get more than some men if they are doing a more highly skilled job. This will be increasingly so when equal pay rightly is introduced.