§ Q10. Mr. Wyn Robertsasked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his talks with the TUC leaders on 11th January.
§ Q15. Mr. Norman Lamontasked the Prime Minister what plans he now has for an official meeting with the Trades Union Congress and the Confederation of British Industry.
§ The Prime MinisterI refer my hon. Friends to the answer which I gave in reply to a Question from the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) on 23rd January, and to my speech on 24th January.—[Vol. 849, c. 217–20, 469–86.]
§ Mr. Juddasked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on the Government's position on extra profits accruing to firms as a result of frozen wage increase agreements in phase 1 of the programme for controlling inflation.
§ The Prime MinisterPrices are controlled as well as pay. The object of the standstill is to check the rise in prices and that is what it is doing. In accordance with Cmnd. 5125, many firms have been required to absorb increases in costs by accepting a reduction in profit margins in order to hold prices down.
§ Mr. Juddasked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards the dismissal and immediate re-engagement of 354W employees at a higher rate of pay as a means of circumventing the regulations governing phase 2 of the programme for controlling inflation.
§ The Prime MinisterThese arrangements will be covered in the Price and Pay Code. Experience suggests that it is anyway unlikely that there would be a significant number of attempts to erode the policy in this way.