§ Mr. Biffenasked the Minister of Labour what is the latest number of proposed changes in income arising from presumed increase in productivity which have been notified to his Department; how many concern employment in service industries; how many of the proposed changes have been authorised; how many rejected; and what is the average time taken between notification to his department and final decision.
§ Mr. GunterSince last July up to 20th January, 1967, 221 such proposed changes in incomes have been notified to my Department. 31 of these which related to the standstill period have not been raised again for consideration during the present period of severe restraint. 54 of the remaining 190 cases have been found to be consistent with the Government's policy and 6 have not. 105 cases are the subject of further correspondence. 25 are under consideration. Of the 221 proposals notified 165 relate to manufacturing industries and 56 to service industries. It would be misleading to give an average time180W taken to deal with these cases. Some call for considerable correspondence and discussion between my Department and the parties concerned, while others can be dealt with much more quickly.