§ Mr. Rookerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish his estimate of median earnings for manual men at the latest date based on the rough estimates used for the Budget Statement.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettNo estimate of the median earnings of manual men has been made for use in the Budget Statement. The latest available statistics on manual male earnings are contained in the results of the 1977 New Earnings Survey; the results of the 1977 Survey should become available towards the end of the year.
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the 81W rough estimates used to update table 22 of the 1976 New Earnings Survey which enabled the Budget Statement to claim that average earnings for men are now nearly £80 a week.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettTable 1 of the New Earnings Survey shows average earnings in April 1976 for men over 21 working full-time, whose pay was not affected by absence, as £71.80. The index of average earnings seasonally adjusted rose by 8.8 per cent. between April 1976 and January 1977. The index covers both men and women workers so it could not be used to produce an accurate updating of the New Earnings Survey figure, but it indicated a likely figure of nearly £80 at the time of the Budget.