§ VISCOUNT BLEDISLOEasked Her Majesty's Government:
- (a) whether they agree that the following statistics as produced by Mr. Merrett and Mr. Lehr in The Private Company To-day are correct:—
- (1) that privately owned businesses employ 39 per cent. of the working population of whom less than 1 per cent. are members of trade unions;
- (2) that public (Stock Exchange quoted) companies employ 37 per cent. of the working population;
- (3) that the nationalised industries employ 10 per cent. of the working population;
- (4) that the local government Civil Service employ 11 per cent. of the working population; and
- (b) whether, if the above statistics are correct they would agree that two out of every five of the working population are employed by privately owned businesses; that privately owned businesses have been far less subject to industrial unrest than either big public companies of nationalised industries; that 9½ million of our work
STOPPAGES IN PROGRESS IN 1973 Number of stoppages beginning in1973 Number of workers involved Number of working days lost Public Sector … … 603 519,000 1,503,000 Private Sector … … 2,270 1,009,000 5,693,000 Total: all Sectors … 2,873 1,527,000 7,197,000 Stoppages involving fewer than 10 workers or lasting less than one day are excluded except where the aggregate of working days lost exceeded 100. The numbers of workers and days lost relate to those directly involved and indirectly involved (thrown out of work although not parties to the disputes) at the establishments where the disputes occurred.
1572WAing population is dependent on our private businesses and that if the 800,000 privately owned businesses were each to take on one more employee there would be virtually no unemployment; and that this could occur were the Government to reduce the punitive taxation raised on such companies.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE (LORD HUGHES)Not all the figures quoted can be confirmed from official sources. The Department of Employment's employment statistics are analysed by industry and not according to the ownership of companies or whether or not they are quoted. However, some analyses showing employment in the public and private sectors are published annually inEconomic Trends; the latest figures, for 1972, are given on page xxxi of the April, 1974, issue. This table shows that 11 per cent. of the employed labour force was employed by local authorities. 8 per cent. by central Government and 7½ per cent. by public corporations; some 74 per cent. was employed by the private sector as a whole. Some information, for 1973 only, is available about industrial stoppages in the United Kingdom in the public and private sectors as a whole. It should be borne in mind, however, that the number, extent and pattern of stoppages of work can vary greatly from year to year. The figures for 1973 were:—
A reduction in taxation on privately owned businesses would not necessarily lead to their seeking to employ extra persons as suggested.
House adjourned at twenty-one minutes past seven o'clock.