§ Mr. Derek Pageasked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking to improve statistics on earnings as between one part of the country and another so as to facilitate discussions on related social and economic questions.
§ Mr. GunterInformation on the earnings of manual workers is already published for Ministry of Labour administrative regions and it is intended next year to publish similar information for the economic planning regions. Estimates of regional earnings are also available from the Family Expenditure Survey, based on samples covering the whole field of employment. The size of the Family Expenditure Survey sample is being increased in 1967 and again in 1968 and this will improve the regional estimates.
Information about regional earnings is also available from other Government Departments. The distribution of personal incomes (before tax) analysed by region and county, published by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue quinquennially, will shortly be available for 1964–65 and the Board of Inland Revenue are improving their regional statistics of earnings derived from their income surveys and will be publishing the results annually in future.
I understand from my right hon. Friend the Minister of Social Security that her Ministry is also developing statistics of earnings, collected in connection with the graduated pension scheme, to show variations between one part of the country and another.