HC Deb 05 December 1975 vol 901 cc361-2W
Mr. Viggers

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many dock workers are currently employed under the Dock Workers Employment Scheme.

Mr. Booth

At 18th November 1975 there were 32,000 dock workers registered under the Dock Workers Employment Scheme.

Mr. Viggers

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the number of workers directly employed as dockers by ports which do not subscribe to the Dock Workers Employment Scheme.

Mr. Booth

In a survey of non-scheme ports and wharves published in 1973 the National Ports Council reported that some 2,900 were employed on cargo-handling work. No later estimate is available.

Mr. Viggers

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the number of workers employed in container groupage work in the sea-borne import-export trade, other than those directly employed within docks.

Mr. Booth

None.

Mr. Viggers

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the number of workers engaged within five miles of the mean high water mark of places used for the loading or unloading of vessels and which are connected to the sea by river or canal as specified in Clause 21 of the consultative document entitled "Dockwork" published by his Department in March 1975 in each of the following categories: storage, warehousing, sorting, weighing, movement, lighterage, identification of goods, checking of goods, and recording of goods, excluding in each case the specific exclusions listed in Clause 20 of the said consultative document.

Mr. Booth

None. Paragraph 20 of the consultative document broadly identified the type of operations to which, in appropriate circumstances, extension of the dock labour scheme might be desirable and paragraph 21 proposed that extension to particular operations could take place only if they were carried on within five miles of either the mean high water mark or the waterside limits of any named place used for the loading or unloading of vessels and connected to the sea by river or canal.