§ Mr. Dempseyasked the Minister of Labour if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT, figures showing the minimum wage rates and the average earnings operating in Scotland and England, respectively.
§ Mr. HattersleyIn April, 1967, the latest date for which figures arc available, the average weekly earnings of men manual workers, 21 years and over, in the industries covered by the Ministry's half-yearly enquiries were £19 14s. 4d. in Scotland and £20 12s. 2d. in England. As my hon. Friend knows, the industrial composition of the two countries differs.
Information relating to minimum wage rates is not available in the form requested. My Ministry, however, provides details including the geographical coverage, of the minimum rates laid down in large numbers of central collective agreements and statutory wages regulation orders in the annual publication "Time Rates of Wages and Hours of Work" and the monthly publication "Changes in Rates of Wages and Hours of Work" Both are available in the Library.