§ Mr. Cashasked the Paymaster General if he will provide further information on the state of compliance by employers with wages orders.
§ Mr. TrippierThe best guide of the state of compliance is the number of workers found to be underpaid as a proportion of the workers whose pay is covered by all checks conducted by wages inspectors. The provisional figure for 1985 is 5.6 per cent.
In attempting to recall that statistic in order to refute the impression given by the hon. Member for Manchester, Blackley (Mr. Eastham) and other hon. Members, during the Second Reading debate on the Wages Bill on 11 February, at column 874, of widespread underpayment of workers covered by wages orders, I regret that I gave the figure of 8 per cent., which was inaccurate.