§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in theOfficial Report
182W (a) the number and percentage of establishments and services covered by wages councils in 1979 and 1988, (i) by wages council and (ii) nationally, (b) the number, and percentage of register, of establishments and workers (i) checked by all methods and (ii) visited and the number and percentage in (i) and (ii) found to be illegally underpaying, nationally and by wages council, (c) the number and percentage of registers of establishments found to be illegally underpaying and prosecuted in each year from 1979 to 1988, and (d) the number of inspectors employed by wages council and nationally, in each year from 1979 to 1988.
(b) (i) The number, and percentage of register, of establishments checked in 1988 and those found to be underpaying are as follows: Wages Council Establishments Number checked by all methods Per cent. of register Number checked by visit Per cent. of register Number found to be underpaying Per cent. of register Baking 78 22.9 78 22.9 16 4.7 Boot and shoe repairing 21 21.0 21 21.0 1 1.0 Catering 583 13.0 488 10.9 68 1.5 Clothing manufacturing 27 15.8 27 15.8 12 7.0 Laundry 6 40.0 6 40.0 — — Linen and cotton handkerchief and household goods and linen piece goods 19 38.8 19 38.8 2 4.1 Paper box 5 29.4 5 29.4 — — Road haulage 310 12.2 296 11.7 13 0.5 Sugar confectionery and food preserving 4 13.8 4 13.8 — — NORTHERN IRELAND TOTALS 1,053 13.6 944 12.2 112 1.4
§ Mr. Viggers[holding answer 22 March 1989]: The information requested is:
(a) The number and percentage of establishments covered by wages councils in Northern Ireland in 1979 and 1988 are as follows:183W
Wages Council 1979 Per cent. 1988 Per cent. Baking 255 4.0 341 4.4 Boot and Shoe Repairing 29 0.5 100 1.3 Catering 3,825 60.6 4,469 57.9 Clothing Manufacturing — — 171 2.2 Dressmaking and Women's Light Clothing1 122 2.0 — — Laundry 17 0.3 15 0.2 Linen and Cotton Handkerchief and Household goods and Linen Piece goods 84 1.3 49 0.6 Paper Box 17 0.3 17 0.2 Ready made and Wholesale Bespoke1 Tailoring 58 0.9 — — Retail Bespoke Tailoring2 4 0.1 — — Road Haulage 1,756 27.8 2,536 32.8 Shirtmaking1 85 1.3 — — Sugar Confectionery and Food Preserving 55 0.9 29 0.4 Northern Ireland Totals 6,307 100 7,727 100 1 These wages councils were abolished in 1982 and one new wages councils (Clothing Manufacturing Wages Council) was established in their place. 2 This wages council was abolished in 1981.
(b) (ii) The number, and percentage of register, of workers checked in 1988 and the number found to be underpaid are as follows: Wages Council Workers Number checked by all methods Per cent. of register Number checked by visit Per cent. of register Number found to be underpaying Per cent. of register Baking 283 29.5 283 29.5 17 1.8 Boot and shoe repairing 23 30.7 23 30.7 2 2.7 Catering 2,785 17.4 2,385 14.9 104 0.7 Clothing manufacturing 1,537 14.0 1,537 14.0 118 1.1 Laundry 29 10.0 29 10.0 — — Linen and cotton handkerchief and household goods and linen piece goods 612 46.5 612 46.5 2 0.2 Paper box 217 25.2 217 25.2 — — Road haulage 982 18.2 771 14.3 15 0.3 Sugar confectionery and food preserving 23 14.8 23 14.8 — — NORTHERN IRELAND TOTALS 6,491 18.0 5,880 16.3 258 0.7
(c) The number and percentage of register of establishments found to be underpaying since 1982 are as follows: 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 Wages Council Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Baking 12 4.8 8 3.0 5 1.9 11 4.0 14 3.3 9 2.4 16 4.7 Boot and Shoe Repairing 1 3.2 — — — — — — — — — — 1 1.0 Catering 16 0.5 17 0.5 32 1.0 28 0.9 35 0.8 76 1.5 68 1.5 Clothing Manufacturing — — — — 4 2.9 1 0.8 6 4.7 10 5.4 12 7.0 Dressmaking and Women's Light Clothing1 — — 1 1.9 — — — — — — — — — — Laundry — — — — — — — — 1 8.3 1 7.1 — — Linen and Cotton Handkerchief and Household Goods and Linen Piece Goods — — — — 1 2.0 — — 1 2.2 2 4.2 2 4.1 Paper Bfox — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Ready Made and Wholesale Bespoke1 Tailoring — — 1 3.3 — — — — — — — — — — Road Haulage 9 0.6 6 0.4 10 0.8 5 0.4 7 0.4 6 0.3 13 0.5 Shirtmaking1 — — 1 2.0 — — — — — — — — — — Sugar Confectionery and Food Preserving 1 2.4 — — — — — — — — — — — — Northern Ireland Totals 39 0.7 34 0.7 52 1.0 45 0.9 64 0.9 104 1.3 112 1.4 Notes:
These Wages Councils were abolished in 1982 and one new Wages Council (Clothing Manufacturing Wages Council) was established in their place. Figures are not available for the period prior to 1982. There have been no paaaacutions in this period.
(d) Since 1979 there have been two wages inspectors employed to enforce wages councils orders in Northern Ireland.