§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for Employment what would be the annual cost to the Exchequer if his Department paid for all the postal ballot election of officials of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers (engineering section).
§ Mr. MayhewThe last published information by the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers (engineering section) of the cost of postal ballots for the election of officials gave the cost as £151,000. This information related to 1974. On the basis of increased costs since that date I estimate that the present postal cost to the Exchequer would be about £138,000 and the administrative costs associated with the ballots about £155,000.
§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for Employment what would be the annual cost to the Exchequer if his Department paid for the postal ballot election of officials of the 26 trade unions which have a membership in excess of 100,000 members.
§ Mr. MayhewOn the basis of second class postage and reasonable assumptions about the number of elections likely to be held and the proportion of members returning ballot papers, the annual postal cost is estimated at about£1¼ million at current prices. Payment of the associated adminstrative costs would about double this figure. Whether the scheme for reimbursement of costs of union postal ballots, foreshadowed by the Queen's Speech, should be designed to meet all or some of these latter costs is a question on which the Government are now consulting.