§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is her estimate of the number of outworkers in Great Britain; and if she will publish in the OFFICIAL 117W REPORT figures showing the distribution of these by trade and locality.
§ Mr. FernyhoughI regret the information is not available.
§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will initiate a general inquiry into the employment of out-workers in Great Britain with the aim of finding conditions of employment and the establishment of a pattern of minimum wages, in view of the fact that the present Wage Council provisions are not always appropriate.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerIn the course of examining pay and conditions in the clothing industry the National Board for Prices and Incomes carried out a sample survey of homeworkers' earnings in Basildon, Central London and Luton. In the first two areas the results of the survey suggested that rates were generally well above the statutory minima laid down by the Wages Council concerned and that working conditions were usually good. In Luton, where the homeworkers were mainly employed on hats, the survey suggested the existence of a less satisfactory situation which is now being investigated by the Wages Inspectorate.