§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many women are affected by the 43 negotiating bodies with collective agreements with women's rates less than 95 per cent, of men's and 97 collective agreements with discriminating reference to women.
§ Mr. John Fraser:I regret that the full information requested is not available, but estimates of the numbers of female employees in some of the agreements referred to were published in Table 2 of the article on "Progress towards Equal Pay" published in the August 1974 219W edition of the Department of Employment Gazette.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest figure on the number of collective agreements that contain discriminating reference to women ; and how many of these have women's rates less than 95 per cent, of the men's rate.
§ Mr. John Fraser:I regret that all the information could not be obtained in the time available. I shall circulate it in the Official Report as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will consider introducing legislation to ensure that those companies whose women's rates are less than 90 per cent, of the men's on 1st July 1975 will be required to pay the difference backdated to 1st July 1975, in a lump sum on 29th December 1975.
§ Mr. John Fraser:No. It would not be appropriate to introduce legislation of the kind suggested, at this late stage.