§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South, Official Report, 9th January, c. 644, why he has made no reliable estimate of the total number of home workers in Great Britain;
(2) if he will now take steps to ascertain the total number of home workers in Great Britain;
(3) pursuant to his reply, Official Report, 9th January, c. 645, for what reasons it would be disproportionately costly to find out how many home workers are women, disabled and immigrants, respectively; and what is his estimate of such costs;
(4) pursuant to his reply, Official Report, 9th January, c. 645, what discussions he has held with the Health and Safety Commission regarding the registration requirements for home workers;
(5) what is his estimate of the date on which the Government will put forward proposals to improve the safety of home workers;
(6) pursuant to his reply, Official Report, 9th January, c. 646, if he has had discussions with the Health and Safety Executive about the fact that no employers employing home workers have been prosecuted for failing to meet the provisions of the Factories Act; and it he will make a statement;
(7) pursuant to his reply, Official Report, 9th January, c. 646, what steps he proposes to take to ensure that wages
266Winspectors examine the wages of a reasonable number of home workers;
(8) pursuant to his reply, Official Report, 9th January, c. 646, what discussions he has had with Wages Council inspectors about the fall in the number of inspections they have carried out of home workers' wages from 3,440 in 1975 to 1,134 in 1976;
(9) pursuant to his reply, Official Report, 9th January, c. 646, when he expects to receive the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service reports on two wages council industries;
(10) pursuant to his reply, Official Report, 9th January, c. 646, why he will not institute a departmental inquiry into piece rates and wage rates of home workers until he has received Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service report;
(11) pursuant to his reply, Official Report, 9th January, column 646, what is his estimate of the number of home workers engaged in industries other than those covered by the two wages councils mentioned in his reply;
(12) if he will seek to increase the fine for failure to make complete returns to local authorities on the number of home workers employed from £20 to £500;
(13) if he will seek legislation to define home workers as employees for the purposes of the Redundancy Payments Act 1965, the Contracts of Employment Act 1973, the Trade Union Labour Relations Act 1974 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974;
(14) if he will list in the Official Report the statutory minimum rate for each of the last five years in each industry covered by wages councils which employs home workers;
(15) if he will seek legislation to impose a duty on employers to provide details of home workers to his Department and to the appropriate trade union;
267W(16) if he will move for a Select Committee to inquire into the problems of home workers;
(17) if he will take steps to ensure that some home workers are invited to sit on wages councils;
(18) what special provision he is making for retraining of home workers;
(19) if he will recommend that wages councils inspectors should devote more time to checking the pay and conditions of home workers;
(20) what discussions he has had with the TUC about the position of home workers;
(21) what discussions he has had with the CBI about the position of home workers;
(22) what proportion of wage council inspectors' time is taken on inspection of (a) factories, and (b) home worker premises;
(23) what is his estimate of the number of home workers dealing with dangerous substances;
(24) if he is satisfied with the health and safety conditions of home workers;
(25) what discussions he has had with the Health and Safety Commission about the safety of home workers;
(26) if he intends to seek to prohibit the use of materials involving risk in work allocated to home workers.
§ Mr. John GrantI will reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
UNEMPLOYED MEN WITH DEPENDENT CHILDREN IN RECEIPT OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT AND/OR SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT In receipt of: Unemployment benefit (without supplementary benefit)* Supplementary benefit (with or without unemployment benefit)† Men with one dependent child … 34,000 60,000 Men with two dependent children … 31,000 60,000 Men with three dependent children … 16,000 40,000 Men with four dependent children … 7,000 25,000 Men with five or more dependent children … 3,000 20,000 * As at 3rd May 1976. † As at 1st December 1976.