HC Deb 12 December 1978 vol 960 cc145-6W
Mr. Tebbitt

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases, apart from those concerning pay offers and awards to trades union officials and Labour Party officials, the Government have failed to apply sanctions against employers who are known to have breached the Government's pay guidelines in the current round.

Mr. Joel Barnett,

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11th December 1978 ; Vol. 690, c. 45], gave the following answer:

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for North-wich (Mr. Goodlad) on 5th December.—[Vol. 959, c. 632.]

Mr. Tebbitt

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why he considers that it would not be in the national interest to withdraw Government financial aid to the Trades' Union Congress as a sanction following upon that body's breach of the Government's 5 per cent. pay limit.

Mr. Joel Barnett

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11th December 1978; Vol. 960, c. 46], gave the following information:

The only payments made to the TUC which the Government could legally withhold are small amounts of money which the TUC receives to run courses for overseas trade unionists as part of the aid programme, and to communicate the industrial strategy. The main effect of withholding these payments would be to affect adversely the aid programme and the industrial strategy and I do not think it would be in the national interest to do either.