§ Mr. Hayhoeasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many working days have been lost in Great Britain as a result of the rise in unemployment since March 1974; and how this figure compares with the number of working days lost as a result of industrial dispute during the same period.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerNo statistics are available of the number of days lost due to unemployment and not all those who register as unemployed will previously have been economically active. However, if it is assumed that all those who registered would otherwise have been at work during the whole period, then it is estimated that the increase in the number unemployed in Great Britain between s 11th March 1974 and 8th July 1976 would have resulted in the loss of about 170 million working days. Figures for Great Britain for days lost as a result of industrial disputes are not readily available, but for the United Kingdom between March 1974 and May 1976, the latest month for which data is available, the figure was 17,833,000.