HC Deb 14 October 1943 vol 392 c1061W
Mr. Erskine-Hill

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he has under consideration for giving instructions for the simplification of wages awards so that they may be comprehensible to workpeople?

Mr. Bevin

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to awards of the National Arbitration Tribunal. The tribunal is an independent body and I have no power to give instructions on any matter affecting the questions which come before them. I may point out, however, 400 awards have been issued and only in a few cases have questions of interpretation been raised, in spite of the fact that industrial wage systems are often extremely complicated.