§ Baroness YOUNGMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in implementing the Equal Pay Act.
§ Lord JACQUESMy Lords, the Equal Pay Act came into operation on 29th December 1975. It is too early to make an assessment of how it is working in practice, but we can say that discrimination has been removed from all collective agreements on the Department's register.
§ Baroness YOUNGMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply, but is it not a fact that the regional employment premium scheme gives to an employer a larger sum for employing a man than for employing a woman? Would the noble Lord not agree that this seems to be contrary to the spirit of the Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act?
§ Lord JACQUESMy Lords, I imagine that that is another Question. If the noble Baroness cares to put down a Question on that matter I will give a considered Answer. It is not a question that I should want to answer without consideration.
§ Baroness YOUNGMy Lords, would the noble Lord not agree that in fact it follows from my original Question, as this is the first example and opportunity which the Government have had of showing their bona fides on implementing this Act?
§ Lord JACQUESMy Lords, that is not true. The Government had the opportunity of showing their bona fides much earlier. They provided the con- 1508 ciliation officers and the industrial tribunals to deal with individual cases. They provided the central arbitration committee to deal with all doubtful cases of collective agreements. They provided the Equal Opportunities Commission which has to review the Act and make recommendations on amendments, if required. The Commission has been given the following powers: first, to inquire in any case where it has reason to believe that there is discrimination; secondly, to give notice to the recipient of the notice that the discrimination must cease; and thirdly, if that power does not succeed it then can go to court and get an injunction. I think that that shows that the Government went into this matter very fully, determined to make the Act work.
§ Lord LEE of NEWTONMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that in very many industries equal pay has been interpreted as giving women the same rate as the lowest paid man, the labourer? Will my noble friend both ensure that all the facilities for training are available in order that women can obtain skilled rates—in other words, the higher rates of pay—and agree that we should base our equality on that kind of income, instead of on the law?
§ Lord JACQUESMy Lords, under the Act there is no excuse for giving women the lowest rate paid to men. As for training, we shall deal with that tomorrow when the noble Lord moves his Motion.
Baroness WARD of NORTH TYNESIDEMy Lords, will the noble Lord be kind enough to tell the House when he thinks he could answer the Question of my noble friend and give a full Statement, so that we would all know where we are?
§ Lord JACQUESThat is easy, my Lords. I should be very pleased to answer the Question when the noble Baroness sets it down on the Order Paper.
§ Baroness EMMET of AMBERLEYMy Lords, will the noble Lord in due course let us have a report of the number of complaints that have been made, as I think that would be of great interest to the House?
§ Lord JACQUESMy Lords, in the first three months of this year there were 1,250 applications to the industrial 1509 tribunal, but by far the greatest number of those were dealt with by conciliation officers and did not need to go to the tribunal. I have worked out some figures for the benefit of the House. On the figures submitted to me for the first three months, I find that 19 per cent. of the cases were settled by conciliation; 8 per cent. were settled by private settlements; 66 per cent. were withdrawn; 2 per cent. were successful at tribunal, and 5 per cent. were unsuccessful at tribunal. The total is 100 per cent., I hope.
§ Baroness EMMET of AMBERLEYMy Lords, I wish to thank the noble Lord very much for the trouble he has taken in answering my supplementary question.
§ Lord LEATHERLANDMy Lords, now that my noble friend has given a long list of the things done by this Government in the interests of sex equality, can he tell us what the previous Government did?