§ Mr. Dempseyasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report details showing the average wage of males and females, respectively, at the most recent convenient date in each of the regions of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerThe April 1978 new earnings survey estimates shown in the reply given to my hon. Friend on 5 December 1978 [Vol. 959, c.600] are the latest available comprehensive regional estimates of average earnings.
The following October 1978 estimates relate only to manual workers in manufacturing and certain other industries. They are based on the Department's annual survey of the earnings and hours of manual workers in the following industries: all manufacturing industries, mining and quarrying (except coal), construction, gas, electricity and water, transport and communication (except railways and sea transport), public administration and certain miscellaneous services. The estimates include overtime, bonuses and other additional payments and those 640W whose pay for the survey pay-period was affected by absence.
Differences in average earnings between regions include the effects of different industrial and occupational structures. They do not, therefore, give a precise indication of differences in earnings for comparable work.
AVERAGE GROSS WEEKLY EARNINGS: OCTOBER 1978 Region Full-time manual men aged 21 and over Full-time manual women aged 18 and over £ £ England 83.57 50.09 South-East 86.37 51.42 East Anglia 80.78 49.54 South-West 77.72 50.45 West Midlands 82.65 51.90 East Midlands 80.46 46.22 Yorkshire and Humberside 82.48 47.71 North-West 81.78 49.34 North 85.31 48.71 Wales 85.56 49.31 Scotland 83.96 50.99 Northern Ireland 74.78 46.59 United Kingdom 83.50 50.03