Part-time Workers (Hansard, 25 October 1988)

§ 17. Dr. Reid
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to seek to improve the protection of part-time workers against unfair dismissal.

§ Mr. Nicholls
No.

§ 22. Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to seek to improve the pay, pensions, holiday entitlement and protection against unfair dismissal of part-time workers.

§ Mr. Nicholls
No. Terms and conditions of employment are a matter for employers and employees or their representatives to determine. Pension rights are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security.

§ 26. Mr. Jim Marshall
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of part-time workers receive wages below the national insurance threshold.

§ 106. Mr. Ernie Ross
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of part-time workers receive wages below the national insurance threshold.
183W

§ 128. Mr. Grocott
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of part-time workers receive wages below the national insurance threshold.

§ Mr. Lee
The available information from the new earnings survey for April 1988 can only provide an indication of the maximum proportion of part-time employees whose gross weekly earnings, not affected by absence, were below the threshold. It is estimated that the proportion was less than 45 per cent. of all part-time employees in employment at the time of the survey.

§ 33. Ms. Armstrong
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to improve the maternity rights of part-time workers.

§ Mr. Nicholls
No.

§ 45. Mr. Wilson
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to improve the rights of part-time workers to paid holidays and pensions.

§ Mr. Nicholls
No. Terms and conditions of employment are a matter for employers and employees or their representatives to determine. Pension rights are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security.

§ 64. Mr. Snape
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number and proportion of part-time workers without paid holiday entitlement.

§ Mr. Lee
Data on holiday entitlements are not regularly collected. However, information reported for the sample in the 1987 new earnings survey showed about 22 per cent. of part-time employees as having no paid annual holiday entitlement during the calendar year, excluding public holidays or days in lieu.

§ 65. Dr. Marek
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to seek to improve the protection of part-time workers against unfair dismissal.

§ 131. Miss Lestor
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to seek to improve the protection of part-time workers against unfair dismissal.

§ Mr. Nicholls
No.

§ 67. Ms. Richardson
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of part-time workers earn less than £3.30 per hour.

§ 125. Mrs. Beckett
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of part-time workers earn less than £3.30 per hour.

§ Mr. Lee
It is estimated from the new earnings survey that about 70 per cent. of part-time workers earn less than £3.30 per hour in April 1988.

§ 81. Mr. Heffer
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the work force work part-time.

§ 113. Mr. Nellist
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the work force works part-time.
184W

§ Mr. Lee
In June 1988, the latest date for which figures are available, 25 per cent. of the work force in employment in Great Britain were working part-time.
The work force in employment is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed, members of Her Majesty's forces and participants in work-related Government training programmes. In classifying the work force between full and part time, all programme participants are counted as in part-time employment.

§ 93. Mr. Battle
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made as to the proportion of(a) men and (b) unmarried women currently in part-time work who have expressed preference for full-time employment.

§ 101. Mr. McAllion
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made as to the proportion of(a) men, and (b) unmarried women in part-time work who have expressed a preference for full-time employment.

§ Mr. Lee
It is not possible to make a full assessment of the preference for full-time work. However, some information is available from the labour force survey.
It is estimated that in spring 1987 a total of 27.7 per cent. of the 736,000 men in Great Britain who regarded their jobs as part time, said they had taken a part-time job because they could not find a full-time job.
Similarly, 14.9 per cent. of the 822,000 unmarried women in Great Britain who regarded their job as part time, said they had taken a part-time job because they could not find a full-time job.