§ BARONESS WOOTTON OF ABINGERasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the increase in average earnings between April, 1972, and April, 1973, shown in the 1973 New Earnings Survey (Department of Employment Gazette, October, 1973, page 954), may be affected by any of the subjects in the sample having moved to better paid jobs between these two dates; or whether the figures strictly represent the increase in the average earnings of persons similarly employed at both dates.
Ton MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD DRUMALBYN)The increases may be affected by people in the sample being in better (or worse) paid jobs at the second date compared with the first, provided, however, that they did not change between full-time and part-time employment and, in the case of the separate figures for manual and non-manual workers, they did not change between these two categories. In the case of the separate figures for industry, to be published in this month's Gazette, they must not have changed their industry. Further information on the matched sample is given on pages 951 and 955 of the October issue of the Department's Gazette.
House adjourned at twenty-five minutes past eight o'clock.