HC Deb 15 July 1987 vol 119 c498W
Mr. Tom Clarke

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the number of workers:in Scotland who earn less than £3 per hour and the percentage which they constitute of the total Scottish work force.

Mr. Lang

The table gives information about the distribution of average gross hourly earnings for some groups of workers. The figures are from the April 1916 New Earnings Survey, which is conducted by the Department of Employment and covers a 1 per cent. sample of employees who are members of PAYE schemes. The results of the April 1987 survey should be available at the end of the year.

Adult employees in Scotland whose earnings were not affected by absence
April 1986 Percentage with average gross earnings less than £3.00per hour
Full-time
males 18.3
females 46.6
employees 28.2
Part-time
males not available
females 77.3
employees not available

The figures are subject to sampling errors, and cannot be assumed to apply to the whole working population because they do not cover, for example, the self-employed, members of the armed forces, private domestic servants, those who are not on adult rates, and those who are not members of PAYE schemes.

Mr. Tom Clarke

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing average weekly earnings for men and women in Scotland and in each of the Scottish regions for each year since 1979.

Mr. Lang

Estimates of average gross weekly earnings for Scotland as a whole, and for the larger Scottish regions, are published each year in the tables of the New Earnings Survey, part E, which are available in the Library of the House. The results of the April 1987 survey should be available at the end of the year.