§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is satisfied with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service definition of workers, which includes persons on strike.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerThe definition of a worker for the purposes of the Employment Protection Act 1975, which provides the statutory framework for the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, is contained in Section 30 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974. I am satisfied with that definition.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the cost to public funds of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service; and how many people it employs.
§ Mr. GoldingI will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of of State for Employment if, in cases where the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service distributes questionnaires to those involved in disputes, the wording of the questionnaire is a matter for the discretion of the Service or is a set formula to be used in all cases.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerThe wording of questionnaires distributed by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is a matter for the Service to determine.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many staff of the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service are involved in the Grunwick Processing dispute.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerThis is a matter for the ACAS, which is an independent statutory body.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the disputes in which 317W the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service has intervened in the current year.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerFrom 1st January to 30th November 1976 the ACAS received 3,303 requests for conciliation. Details of individual disputes are a private matter between ACAS and the parties involved. Figures for the full year, including figures for conciliation action taken, will appear in the Service's report for 1976.