HC Deb 14 December 1979 vol 975 cc820-2W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for Italy and the United Kingdom for each year since 1967 and for the latest quarter (a) the rate of exchange against the Italian lira as a percentage of the 1970 rate and the change on the preceding year and (b) weekly earnings and unit labour costs, in manufacturing, as a percentage of their levels in 1970 and the increase on the preceding year;

(2) if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for France and the United Kingdom for each year since 1967 and for the latest quarter (a) the rate of exchange against the French franc as a percentage of the 1970 rate and the change on the preceding year and (b) weekly earnings and unit labour costs, in manufacturing, as a percentage of their levels in 1970 and the increase on the preceding years;

(3) if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for the United Kingdom and West Germany for each year since 1967 and for the latest quarter (a) the rate of exchange against the deutschemark as a percentage of the 1970 rate and the change on the preceding year and (b) weekly earnings and unit labour costs, in manufacturing, as a percentage of their levels in 1970 and the increase on the preceding year;

(4) if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for the United Kingdom and the United States of America for each year since 1967 and for the latest quarter (a) the rate of exchange against the dollar as a percentage of the 1970 rate and the change on the preceding year, (b) weekly earnings in manufacturing as a percentage of its level in 1970 and the increase on the preceding year and (c) unit labour costs in manufacturing as a percentage of its level in 1970 and the increase on the preceding year;

(5) if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for Japan and the United Kingdom for each year since 1967 and for the latest three quarters (a) the rate of exchange against the yen as a percentage of the 1970 rate and the change on the preceding year and (b) weekly earnings and unit labour costs, in manufacturing, as a percentage of their levels in 1970 and the increase on the preceding year.

Mr. Lawson

The annual average rate of exchange of the Italian lira, the French

ANNUAL AVERAGE RATE OF EXCHANGE AGAINST STERLING
(Percentage change on previous year shown in parenthesis)
Italian French US Japanese
lira franc deutschemark dollar Yen
1967 114.2 (-1.6) 102.2 (-1.4) 125.5 (-1.8) 114.8 (-1.5) 101.5 (-13.8)
1968 99.3 (-13.1) 89.6 (-1.7) 109.4 (-12.8) 99.9 (-12.9) 99.4 (-2.1)
1969 99.8 (+0.5) 93.9 (+4.8) 107.4 (-1.8) 99.7 (-0.2) 100.1 (+0.7)
1970 100.0 (+0.2) 100.0 (+6.5) 100.0 (-6.9) 100.0(+0.3) 100.0 (-0.1)
1971 100.6 (+0.6) 101.7 (+1.7) 97.6 (-2.4) 102.0(+2.0) 98.5 (-1.5)
1972 97.2 (-3.4) 95.3 (-6.2) 91.3 (-6.5) 104.4 (+2.4) 87.7 (-10.9)
1973 94.9 (-2.3) 82.3 (-13.6) 74.9 (-18.0) 102.4 (-1.9) 77.5 (-11.7)
1974 101.3(+6.7) 85.0 (+3.2) 69.2 (-7.5) 97.7 (-4.6) 79.6(+2.7)
1975 96.3 (-4.9) 71.8 (-15.6) 62.4 (-9.9) 92.7 (-5.1) 76.7 (-3.6)
1976 99.7 (+3.5) 65.0 (-9.4) 52.1 (-16.4) 75.3 (-18.7) 62.4 (-18.6)
1977 102.5 (+2.9) 64.7 (-0.5) 46.4 (-11.0) 72.9 (-3.3) 54.5 (-12.6)
1978 108.4 (+5.7) 65.3(+0.9) 44.1 (-4.9) 80.1(+9.9) 46.9 (-13.9)
1979–
First qtr. 47.3 (-11.4)
Second qtr. 52.8(+11.9)
Third qtr. 121.4 (+12.8) 71.4 (+11.7) 46.4 (+4.7) 93.2(+15.6) 57.1 (+31.7)

Average weekly earnings in manufacturing in Great Britain and unit labour costs in manufacturing in the United Kingdom as a percentage of their levels in 1970 and with the percentage increase on the preceding year are shown in the table below:

Average Weekly Earnings in Manufacturing in Great Britain—all employees—seasonally adjusted (a) Unit Labour Costs in Manufacturing in the United Kingdom(b)
Percentage of 1970 level Percentage increase on preceding year Percentage of 1970 level Percentage of increase on preceding year
1967 75.8 +3.6 83.0 -1.5
1968 82.0 +8.2 83.0 0
1969 88.7 +8.1 88.6 +6.7
1970 100.0 +12.7 100.0 +12.9
1971 111.2 +11.2 109.9 +9.9
1972 125.5 +12.8 115.0 +4.6
1973 141.6 +12.9 121.6 +5.7
1974 165.9 +17.2 151.1 +24.3
1975 209.2 +26.1 197.8 +30.9
1976 243.7 +16.5 226.3 +14.4
1977 268.8 +10.3 253.8 +12.2
1978 308.1 +14.6 288.0 +13.4
1979 third quarter 356.1 +13.9 N.A. N.A.
Sources:
(a) Department of Employment.
(b) Central Statistical Office (estimates based on census of production).

Corresponding data on a consistent basis for all the years requested for Italy, France, West Germany, the United States and Japan would involve disproportionate cost to assemble and validate. The hon. Member may wish to know that unit labour cost indices for the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, France and West Germany for the years since 1973 are regularly published in Economic Trends. Some data on earnings in manufacturing, but not necessarily on a consistent basis, appear in the Inter franc, the deutschemark, the United States dollar and the Japanese yen as a percentage of the 1970 rate are shown in the table below. The corresponding percentage changes on the preceding year are shown in brackets.

national Labour Office yearbook of labour statistics.