Viscountess ASTORasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that certain large-scale employers in the catering trade have expressed approval of a proposal to establish a trade board in 'he catering industry; that all the organisaations in the industry are similarly in favour of the establishment of a trade board; and whether, having regard to these facts and the amount of underpayment disclosed by the Report of the Ministry, he will consider calling a conference at an early date to consider the establishment of such a trade board in the catering trade?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDI am not aware of the views referred to in the fircst two parts of the question. In any event, before reopening the question of establishing a trade board for the catering trade, I should need to have evidence that the results of the Departmental Inquiry, carried out in 1926, no longer fairly represent the wages position in the trade.