§ Mr. John Pageasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish a table showing, alongside the figures given for those being stopped work due to industrial disputes, a further column showing the numbers laid off because of these disputes.
§ Mr. GoldingThe official statistics of workers involved in stoppages of work due to industrial disputes include
- (1) workers directly involved in the dispute and
- (2) workers indirectly involved who, although not themselves parties to the disputes, are laid off at establishments where the disputes occur.
It would not be practicable to compile comprehensive statistics of the number of workers who might be laid off at other establishments as an indirect result of the stoppages—for example, due to shortages of materials, parts, and so on. The only exception is the motor vehicle industry where some very broad estimates are compiled, but only for working days lost.