§ Mr. Tim Smithasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest estimate of national average weekly gross earnings; whether this includes fringe benefits; and what is the latest estimate of fringe benefits on a similar national average weekly basis.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerAs explained in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Lewis) on 9th December—[Vol. 940 Part II, c.930]—several forms of national average gross weekly earnings are published regularly by my Department. The latest estimates for April 1977 were published in the New Earnings Survey results in the October issue of the Department of Employment Gazette. Three principal averages were given in my reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Stechford (Mr. MacKay) on 13th December—[Vol. 941, c. 260]. They do not include fringe benefits except for the reckonable values in wages orders of certain benefits received by some agricultural and catering works. My Department does not possess the information which would be required to estimate a national average value of fringe benefits.