§ Mr. Cryerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors he calculates have led to the United Kingdom being at the bottom of the wages table in Europe; and what action the Government proposes to take to remedy the situation.
§ Mr. Biffen[pursuant to his reply, 10 December 1980]: The United Kingdom's low wages reflect its low productivity. The Government have stressed the importance of increased productivity and are creating the economic conditions to enable industry to achieve this.