§ 40. Mr.Arthur Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he had discussions with the Trades Union Congress, and Confederation of British Industry before annoucing his policy on future pay increases in his recent speech; whether he has had discussions since; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweMy speech to the Birmingham chamber of commerce on 26 June drew attention to the fact that if we want to see output and employment grow, we must have pay settlements in both the public and private sectors which are considerably lower than we have had in the current pay round. I am always ready to discuss such issues with the TUC and the CBI, and have regular opportunities to do so.