HC Deb 18 February 1975 vol 886 cc1101-2
21. Mr. Duffy

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the degree of compliance with wage guidelines; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Foot

As I have said before, the guidelines have had a considerable measure of success and constitute the best basis for the future, but I would emphasise the importance of the maximum possible compliance with them.

Mr. Duffy

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many hon. Members will agree that last week's settlement on behalf of the miners was registered in respect of a unique work force in our economy and that any disposition by other claimants to use it as a gateway will aggravate inflation and undermine the living standards of pensioners and others without power to negotiate?

Mr. Foot

As I said in reply to a previous question, my comments last week put that settlement into its general perspective.

Mr. Fletcher-Cooke

Since compliance with the guidelines is so important, will the Secretary of State reconsider his decision not to publish the details of the guidelines as a State paper?

Mr. Foot

We have been into that before, and I shall be happy to have a discussion on it in the future. It is a much better subject for debate than for question and answer. I do not believe it would be a sensible way of proceeding if we commented on every settlement and the detail of every settlement, partly because I do not think it would help to deal with inflation.

Mr. George Rodgers

Will my right hon. Friend comment on the activities of the people who invested in a rising stock market and subsequently sold out, having cleaned up a substantial profit? Does he not think that these people similarly should be subject to some guidance so far as income is concerned?

Mr. Foot

That is another question. It is like the invitation of one of my hon. Friends who asked me to clean up the Augean stables. I have a few other things to do, and even Hercules could not do these things in his spare time.

Mr. Prior

Following the question of my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Darwen (Mr. Fletcher-Cooke), may I ask why the right hon. Gentleman takes the view that when it comes to journalists only the House of Commons can decide but that in the matter of the social contract he can decide, without any recourse and information to the House of Commons at all?

Mr. Foot

That is not my view at all. I am strongly in favour of the House of Commons having questions about the social contract, as we have had today, and debates. We had a full debate, initiated by my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, Central (Mr. Hamilton), a few weeks ago on the social contract, but very few Conservative Members turned up, including the right hon. Gentleman himself. I am not complaining, but I think the best way to deal with this is by debating all these questions in the House of Commons.

Mr. Prior

Will the right hon. Gentleman answer the question?

Mr. Foot

I shall do my best to answer any Questions that the right hon. Gentleman puts down. As I have said before—and I believe that the argument we had showed the real reasons for it—we had an exchange of correspondence published in Hansard for the benefit of hon. Members, but I think it would be a mistaken course in the interests of dealing with inflation if we had a detailed publication about each individual wage settlement.