HC Deb 17 April 1986 vol 95 cc492-7W
Ms. Clare Short

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish an analysis of the numbers of wages inspectors, the number of establishments covered by the wages councils, and the results of inspections in 1985 in the same format as was used in the series of written answers given on 4 April 1985, Official Report, columns 782–90.

Establishments covered by Wages Councils on register—January 1985
Table 1
Wages Councils London (East) London (West) South Eastern Southern Eastern South Western Midlands (East) Midlands (West) North Western (East) North Western (West) Yorkshire and Humberside Northern Scotland (East) Scotland (West) Wales Total
Aerated Waters 11 14 145 27 13 28 46 78 26 27 32 28 47 15 537
Clothing Manufacture 1,894 726 112 242 318 187 835 558 722 244 488 229 88 375 172 7,190
Boot and Shoe Repairing 259 374 123 99 108 152 159 230 307 72 245 75 59 88 51 2,401
Button Manufacturing 14 7 3 5 1 2 8 9 5 1 5 1 2 3 66
Coffin Furniture and Cerement Making 1 2 6 2 3 5 2 10 31
Cotton Waste Reclamation 4 1 16 12 4 1 38
Flax and Hemp 1 1 1 20 23
Fur 138 113 14 18 12 7 8 10 33 17 19 4 8 39 5 445
General Waste Materials Reclamation 89 52 56 72 85 103 140 203 176 158 277 83 52 76 96 1,718
Hairdressing Undertakings 1,405 1,982 2,094 2,433 2,331 2,575 2,430 3,097 2,099 3,474 3,286 1,805 1,420 1,357 1,603 33,391
Hat, Cap and Millinery 17 27 3 4 45 4 7 10 19 2 13 9 1 8 3 172
Lace Finishing 1 58 4 1 64
Laundry 31 103 71 78 60 99 67 74 28 31 44 51 91 28 53 909
Linen and Cotton Handkerchief 2 4 4 1 3 20 2 83 34 9 1 6 1 2 172
Made-up Textiles 14 16 10 18 37 19 33 23 19 25 34 23 15 28 17 331
Ostrich and Fancy Feather 7 2 2 5 7 2 1 4 1 2 33
Perambulator and Invalid Carriage 1 1 1 4 1 1 8 3 5 5 1 2 1 34
Retail Bespoke Tailoring 82 169 19 45 38 38 27 33 23 32 60 19 20 9 8 622
Rope, Twine and Net 1 1 6 12 4 4 12 10 17 3 22 2 94
Sack and Bag 5 3 1 8 2 7 13 17 15 13 3 2 6 95
Toy Manufacturing 19 5 29 31 29 29 40 16 26 23 44 10 4 19 324
Retail Trades (Non-Food) 6,131 10,021 6,338 7,329 6,613 7,154 11,394 8,421 6,627 5,811 9,053 4,088 4,346 5,146 3,788 102,260
Retail Food and Allied Trades 5,628 4,606 8,229 9,431 8,063 8,781 6,972 8,754 7,763 7,453 10,573 7,900 6,002 5,943 5,253 111,351
Licensed Non-Residential 4,888 2,386 4,248 4,659 3,927 5,305 5,196 6,705 5,443 4,501 7,129 4,211 3,288 2,187 4,102 68,175
Licensed Residential Establishments and Licensed Restaurants 908 3,075 2,393 1,940 1,833 5,155 1,565 1,420 880 1,448 1,834 1,420 2,434 1,365 2,078 29,748
Unlicensed Place of Refreshment 1,252 2,071 1,155 1,054 1,127 1,514 939 897 571 917 1,216 875 782 817 890 16,077
Total 22,801 25,744 24,920 27,612 24,677 31,161 29,946 30,534 24,954 24,309 34,401 20,848 18,695 17,528 18,171 376,301

Checks of pay carried out at establishments and underpayments found—results 1985 Analysis by Wages Council
Table 2
All checks of pay (visited and not visited) Inspections by visit
Wages Council Establishments checked Per cent. of register checked Number of establishments underpaying Per cent. of establishments underpaying Establishments visited Per cent. of register visited Number of establishments visited underpaying Per cent. of establishments visited underpaying
Aerated Waters 41 7.6 3 7.3 40 7.4 3 7.5
Clothing Manufacture 1,208 16.8 378 31.3 1,156 16.1 378 32.7
Boot and Shoe Repairing 316 13.2 25 7.9 165 6.9 25 15.2
Button Manufacturing 8 12.1 1 12.5 8 12.1 1 12.5
Coffin Furniture and Cerement Making 3 9.7 2 6.5
Cotton Waste Reclamation 3 7.9 3 7.9
Flax and Hemp 2 8.7 2 8.7
Fur 13 2.9 13 2.9
General Waste Materials Reclamation 212 12.3 14 6.6 203 11.8 14 6.9
Hairdressing Undertakings 3,935 11.8 885 22.5 2,595 7.8 885 34.1
Hat, Cap and Millinery 17 9.9 1 5.9 17 9.9 1 5.9
Lace Finishing 5 7.8 5 7.8
Laundry 129 14.2 29 22.5 112 12.3 29 25.9
Linen and Cotton Handkerchief 18 10.5 3 16.7 18 10.5 3 16.7
Made-up Textiles 31 9.4 6 19.4 30 9.1 6 20.0
Ostrich and Fancy Feather 4 12.1 4 12.1
Perambulator and Invalid Carriage 5 14.7 5 14.7
Retail Bespoke Tailoring 57 9.2 6 10.5 57 9.2 6 10.5
Rope, Twine and Net 10 10.6 2 20.0 9 9.6 2 22.2
Sack and Bag 15 15.8 6 40.0 15 15.8 6 40.0
Toy Manufacturing 45 13.9 3 6.7 45 13.9 3 6.7
Retail Trades (Non-Food) 11,485 11.2 2,122 18.5 5,496 5.4 2,122 38.6
Retail Food and Allied Trades 11,245 10.1 2,381 21.2 5,881 5.3 2,381 40.5

Mr. Trippier

The information requested is given in the following tables.

All checks of pay (visited and not visited) Inspections by visit
Wages Council Establishments checked Per cent. of register checked Number of establishments underpaying Per cent. of establishments underpaying Establishments visited Per cent. of register visited Number of establishments visited underpaying Per cent. of establishments visited underpaying
Licensed Non-Residential 6,155 9.0 1,304 21.2 5,116 7.5 1,304 25.5
Licensed Residential Establishment and Licensed Restaurant 3,612 12.1 1,318 36.5 3,529 11.9 1,318 37.3
Unlicensed Place of Refreshment 1,808 11.2 577 31.9 1,676 10.4 577 34.4
Total 40,382 10.7 9,064 22.4 26,202 7.0 9,064 34.6

Table 3
Workers covered by wages councils and results of pay checks in 1985
Estimated number of workers covered by Wages Council Orders at June 1982 Workers whose pay was checked by visit and other methods Workers whose pay was checked by visit Workers underpaid Percentage underpaid of all workers checked Percentage underpaid of all workers checked by visit Arrears paid Arrears waved by workers Arrears not pursued Arrears assessed
2 £ £ £
1 £ 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Aerated Waters 15,000 928 927 16 1.7 1.7 1,063 1,063
Clothing Manufacture 252,800 22,505 21,015 859 3.8 4.1 63,405 2,162 35,195 100,762
Boot and Shoe Manufacturing 7,100 723 409 47 6.5 11.5 3,542 16 176 3,734
Button Manufacturing 2,100 73 73 1 1.4 1.4 205 205
Coffin Furniture and Cerement Making 300 17 14
Cotton Waste Reclamation 500 16 16
Flax and Hemp 1,400 95 95
Fur 4,500 53 53
General Waste Materials Reclamation 19,300 2,059 1,949 24 1.2 1.2 3,681 3,681
Hairdressing Undertakings 135,600 12,740 8,227 1,143 9.0 13.9 102,749 21,456 17,030 141,235
Hat, Cap and Millinery 6,800 359 359 1 0.3 0.3 148 148
Lace Finishing 800 44 44
Laundry 33,700 4,279 3,168 104 2.4 3.3 7,441 476 165 8,082
Linen and Cotton Handkerchief 5,200 275 275 4 1.5 1.5 308 492 800
Made-up Textile 4,800 404 400 8 2.0 2.0 949 52 189 1,190
Ostrich and Fancy Feather 1,400 28 28
Perambulator and Invalid Carriage 1,500 260 260
Retail Bespoke Tailoring 5,200 171 171 7 4.1 4.1 475 2,460 2,935
Rope, Twine and Net 4,000 120 115 2 1.7 1.7 94 94
Sack and Bag 1,400 148 148 10 6.8 6.8 766 357 1,123
Toy Manufacturing 18,900 2,578 2,578 3 0.1 0.1 211 54 184 499
Retail Non-Food Trades 512,800 80,269 21,306 3,524 4.4 16.5 439,451 92,227 95,926 627,604
Retail Food and Allied Trades 519,300 83,559 21,322 4,441 5.3 20.8 464,430 152,343 105,687 722,460
Licensed Non-Residential 508,700 39,913 29,626 2,841 7.1 9.6 308,003 36,225 46,216 390,444
Licensed Residential and Restaurant 555,300 37,500 34,615 2,590 6.9 7.5 250,042 16,563 39,867 306,472
Unlicensed Place of Refreshment 116,400 11,558 8,777 1,323 11.4 15.1 101,538 30,388 23,788 155,714
TOTAL 2,734,800 300,692 155,970 16,948 5.6 10.9 1,748,501 354,422 365,272 2,468,195

Table 4

Checks of Pay carried out at Establishments and Underpayments Found—Results 1985

Analysis by Division

All checks of pay (visited and not visited) Inspections by visit
Division Establishments checked Per cent. of register checked No. of establishments underpaying Per cent. of establishments underpaying Establishments visited Per cent. of register visited No. of establishments visited underpaying Per cent. of establishments visited underpaying
London East 2,162 9.5 298 13.8 1,353 5.9 298 22.0
London West 2,415 9.4 357 14.8 1,862 7.2 357 19.2
South Eastern 2,466 9.9 670 27.2 1,937 7.8 670 34.6
Southern 3,311 12.0 556 16.8 2,139 7.7 556 26.0
Eastern 2,800 11.3 688 24.6 1,763 7.1 688 39.0
South Western 3,891 12.5 929 23.9 2,239 7.2 929 41.5
Midlands (East) 4,483 15.0 430 9.6 1,299 4.3 430 33.1
Midlands (West) 2,819 9.2 712 25.3 2,148 7.0 712 33.1
North Western (East) 2,778 11.1 529 19.0 1,426 5.7 529 37.1
North Western (West) 2,387 9.8 804 33.7 1,677 6.9 804 47.9
Yorkshire and Humberside 2,955 8.6 818 27.7 2,279 6.6 818 35.9
Northern 1,906 9.1 815 42.8 1,526 7.3 815 53.4
Scotland (East) 2,179 11.7 488 22.4 1,570 8.4 488 31.1
Scotland (West) 1,903 10.9 361 19.0 1,407 8.0 361 25.7

All checks of pay (visited and not visited) Inspections by visit
Division Establishments checked Per cent. of register checked No. of establishments underpaying Per cent. of establishments underpaying Establishments visited Per cent. of register visited No. of establishments visited underpaying Per cent. of establishments visited underpaying
Wales 1,927 10.6 609 31.6 1,577 8.7 609 38.6
GREAT BRITAIN 40,382 10.7 9,064 22.4 26,202 7.0 9,064 34.6

Note: The Divisional figures for the numbers of establishments where pay was checked by methods not involving inspection visits include multiple firms whose head office is located in the Division whose branches are in other areas. This needs to be taken into account when comparing the Divisional figures shown in columns 1–4 of Table 4.

Workers whose pay was checked in each wages inspectorate division—Figures 1985
Table 5
Division Workers whose pay was checked by visit and other methods Workers whose pay was checked by visit Workers underpaid Percentage underpaid of all workers checked Percentage underpaid of all workers checked by visit Arrears paid £ Arrears waived by workers £ Arrears not pursued £ Total arrears assessed £
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
London (East) 15,315 6,947 461 3.0 6.6 55,164 13,657 11,293 80,114
London (West) 26,620 17,483 580 2.2 3.3 96,228 11,926 9,702 117,916
South East 16,144 11,148 1,278 7.9 11.5 114,090 25,955 34,814 174,859
Southern 22,300 11,761 882 4.0 7.5 95,405 24,830 18,811 139,146
Eastern 19,373 10,583 1,216 6.3 11.5 110,743 26,233 13,226 150,202
South West 51,028 11,411 1,777 3.5 15.6 159,314 35,385 29,940 224,639
Midlands (East) 42,171 8,544 841 2.0 9.8 97,692 23,116 21,609 142,417
Midlands (West) 18,444 15,118 1,326 7.2 8.8 125,093 35,263 52,263 212,619
North West (East) 12,584 6,948 920 7.3 13.2 101,611 25,778 49,244 176,633
North West (West) 12,453 8,695 1,660 13.3 19.1 169,208 21,905 31,588 222,701
Yorkshire and Humberside 16,337 13,336 1,693 10.4 12.7 141,657 51,067 26,356 219,080
Northern 9,614 8,045 1,557 16.4 19.6 145,785 6,258 19,038 171,081
Scotland (East) 12,794 7,770 822 6.4 10.6 91,717 13,068 7,398 112,183
Scotland (West) 16,253 10,217 672 4.1 6.6 95,846 15,962 14,431 126,239
Wales 9,262 7,964 1,243 13.4 15.6 148,888 24,019 25,559 198,466
Total 300,692 155,970 16,948 5.6 10.9 1,748,501 354,422 365,272 2,468,295

The Divisional figures for the number of workers whose pay was checked by methods not involving inspection visits include workers employed by multiple firms whose head office is located in the Division who are employed in branches in other areas. This needs to be taken into account when comparing the Divisional figures shown in columns 2 and 5 of Table 5.

Wages Inspectorate Staff
Outdoor wages inspectors April 1986 Other inspectorate staff April 1986
Division Authorised post Staff in post Authorised post Staff in post
London 15 13 12 12
South Eastern 9 7
Southern 7 6
Eastern 7 6 7 8
South Western 10 10
Midlands (East) 7 6
Midlands (West) 11 10
North West (East) 8 7 7 6
North West (West) 9 8 7 7
Yorks and Humberside 10 10 8 8
Northern 8 8 6
Scotland (East) 7 7 7
Scotland (West) 6 6 7
Wales 6 5 6 5
Totals 120 109 102 100½

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