HL Deb 14 June 1978 vol 393 cc497-9WA
Lord O'HAGAN

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Under which section of the Statistics of Trade Act 1947 the Department of Employment has been notifying firms of the need to provide information for the EEC Survey of Labour Costs 1978; why this was not stated in letters to firms from that Department; and how such a request can be made under the provisions of that Act before the making of the appropriate regulation by the Council of Ministers.

Lord WALLACE of COSLANY

The Government propose to conduct the survey of 1978 labour costs in Great Britain under Section 1 of the Statistics of Trade Act 1947. An appropriate statutory notice under that section will be served on firms in the selected sample when the survey documents are formally issued towards the end of 1978.

Following normal practice, advance informal notice was given to the selected firms in Great Britain at the beginning of 1978 by the Department of Employment, so that they could make appropriate preparatory arrangements to provide the information to be sought early in 1979, relating to either the calendar year 1978 or a 1978–9 accounting year.

It was then explained that, under a Regulation to be made by the Council of the European Communities, the Commission would be required to carry out a survey of 1978 labour costs; that the Department of Employment would collect the information needed by the Commission from firms in Great Britain; and that, in Great Britain, the survey would be conducted under the Statistics of Trade Act 1947.

These advance informal notifications were not made under either the 1947 Act or the Council Regulation. Their value to the firms involved would have been reduced if they had been delayed until after Regulation 494 was made by the Council of Ministers on 6th March 1978.

Lord O'HAGAN

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Advisory Committee on the Statistics of Trade was consulted on the preparation of the forms sent to firms as part of the EEC Survey of Labour Costs 1978, what advice it gave and whether any estimate of the likely costs to firms of furnishing information for this survey was included in that advice.

Lord WALLACE of COSLANY

There is no Advisory Committee on the Statistics of Trade. The Confederation of British Industry and other British employers' associations were represented in the relevant Working Party of the Statistical Office of the European Communities. The Confederation was subsequently consulted by the Department of Employment on the draft questionnaire for the survey of 1978 labour costs, following normal practice. The draft is still subject to revision before formal issue later in the year.