§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average gross weekly earnings in money and in real terms for full-time male and female manual workers for each year since 1979 for the Northern region and the area covered by the Bishop Auckland constituency.
§ Mr. AlisonFigures of the average gross weekly earnings of full-time male manual workers aged 21 and over and full-time female manual workers aged 18 and over are published each year in the report on the "New Earnings Survey", copies of which are in the Library. Figures for the Northern region are given in part A, tables 12 and 13. Figures are not available for the Bishop Auckland constituency but are given for Durham in part E, tables 108 and 111.
An assessment of changes in the real value of earnings can be made with reference to changes in the retail prices index for corresponding periods. The retail prices index is regularly published in Employment Gazette, which is available in the Library.