HC Deb 13 March 1972 vol 833 cc22-3
29. Mr. Roderick

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average weekly wage per person in Wales for the last available week.

Mr. Peter Thomas

The full information requested is not available. The latest figures relate to October, 1971, when the average weekly earnings of male manual workers in Wales, aged 21 and over, were £31.10. This figure is slightly higher than the comparable Great Britain figure. The latest figures for the earnings of female workers and non-manual male workers relate to April, 1971, when they were lower than the comparable Great Britain figures.

Mr. Roderick

Can the Secretary of State say what factors have led to the change in the situation so that male workers in Wales had much higher average earnings in October than workers in the United Kingdom as a whole? This is a trend which has changed considerably. Over industry as a whole there is a lower average. Would not the Secretary of State agree that if we are to suffer lower wages, any rises in the cost of living will bear more heavily on us in Wales?

Mr. Thomas

The latest figures relate to manual male workers and there is no doubt that they are slightly higher than the national figure, but the average weekly earnings of women, boys, girls and non-manual workers in Wales tend to be lower than the national average.

Mr. Gower

Whereas in Wales average earnings in manufacturing industries are higher than the average for the United Kingdom, the average earnings over the whole of Wales are lower than in many parts of the United Kingdom because we lack business and professional employment which is present in the Midlands and the South-East.

Mr. Thomas

What my hon. Friend says is about right. A large percentage of male workers in Wales are manual workers, something like 70 per cent., which is much higher than in the United Kingdom generally.

Mr. Kinnock

While the figure for earnings is marginally higher than in the rest of the United Kingdom, the average figure for unemployment in Wales is grossly higher than the United Kingdom average. Will the Secretary of State produce specific suggestions for cutting down unemployment in Wales?

Mr. Thomas

During the debate last week these figures were gone into in some detail. The percentage of unemployment in Wales has been higher than the national average for many years.