§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers in the United Kingdom are now covered by wages council agreements.
§ Mr. WaddingtonStatistical returns of the numbers of workers employed in establishments within the scope of wages councils are not collected, but in January 1980 an analysis of the administrative records of inspections kept by the Wages Inspectorate indicated that the total number of workers covered was about 2¾ million.
The separate system of wages councils in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the 308W Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who informs me that in January 1981 about 38,600 workers in the Province were covered by wages councils.