§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (1) whether he is aware that, during the period of the wages and salaries standstill, the directors of Empire Stores (Bradford) Limited increased their emoluments from £47,530 in 1965–66 to £49,306 during 1966–67; and what action he has taken, or proposes to take, to prevent such rises in this and similar cases;
(2) whether he is aware that, for the year ending 31st December 1966, the directors of the Penguin Publishing Company Limited paid to themselves in fees and other emoluments £43,527, as compared with £33,968 in the previous year; and, as this is contrary to the Government's wages and salaries standstill, what action he has taken, or intends to take, against those concerned;
(3) whether he is aware that for the year ended 31st December, 1966, the directors of Cambrian Airways Limited received in fees and other remuneration 68W £16,939, as compared with £14,720 in the previous year; and as this was contrary to the Government's standstill on wages, prices and salaries, what action he has taken or intends to take in connection with this matter;
(4) whether he will cause an investigation to be made into all company reports and statements of accounts registered with the Registrar of Companies and/or the Inland Revenue, since July, 1966, to ascertain to what extent company directors have been observing the Government's wages and salaries standstill during the past 12 months;
(5) whether he is aware that, for the year ended December, 1966, the chairman's remuneration and directors' fees and managerial services, including contributions to pensions schemes, for Dorland Advertising Limited rose to £117,660 from the £104,952 paid in the previous year; and whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain to what extent the directors' fees and emoluments of this firm contravened the Government's wage and salary standstill from July, 1966;
(6) what action he has taken or intends to take to examine company reports to ascertain to what extent company directors have been observing the Government's salary and wages standstill; whether he is aware that the latest report of C. J. Lytle (Advertising) Limited shows that the directors' emoluments have increased from £25,349 to £28,263 during the last year; and what action he proposes to take in this instance to enforce the Government's salary standstill;
(7) whether he will publish in HANSARD a detailed list of the public companies who have either attempted to, or actually increased the emoluments of their directors, and the number of these increases which his Department have prevented.
§ Mr. Frederick LeeI am informed that in none of these was there any increased remuneration paid to the directors contrary to the requirements of the standstill and severe restraint White Papers.
My inquiries show that the increases mentioned in total remuneration to directors arose either from an increase in the number of directors or from 69W increases in the individual remuneration put into effect before the start of the standstill. In these circumstances I do not feel that a general investigation on the lines proposed would serve a useful purpose.