Wages Councils (Hansard, 1 December 1992)

§ 8. Ms. Short
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations she has received against her proposal to abolish the wages councils.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
Since 5 November, I have received a number of representations for and against the proposal. Some 94 per cent. of representations from employers support abolition of the wages councils.

§ 18. Sir Fergus Montgomery
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make a statement on the impact on incomes following the abolition of wages councils.

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth
The abolition of wages councils will free up the labour market, increase job opportunities and improve the prospects for many individuals to increase their income.

26. Mr. Alan W. Williams
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees have conditions of work and remuneration covered by wages councils; and what percentage of these employees are women.

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth
It is estimated that the wages councils set minimum pay and overtime rates which cover some 2,561,000 workers, aged 21 or over, about two thirds of whom are women.

§ Mr. Peter Bottomley
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her answer of 19 November,Official Report, column 332, if she will estimate (a) the number of wages councils employers in 1988, (b) the number of them who responded directly with support for abolition and (c) the ratio of (b) to (a).

§ Mr. McLoughlin
It is estimated that some 250,000 employers were covered by wages councils in 1988. The 1988 consultation document, resulted in 36 individual employers and 37 employers' organisations writing in support of abolition. It is not possible to estimate the ratio of all employers covered by the councils which these letters represent.