§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if, for each of the last three White Papers issued by his Department, for which legislation has been started, he will state the time elapsed between their publication and the First Readings of any Bills connected with them; and if he will do the same for the last three White Papers by his Department prior to May 1979.
864W
§ Mr. NichollsThe last three White Papers produced by this Department for which legislation has started are: "Building Businesses … Not Barriers", Command 9794, 22 May 1986; "Employment for the 1990s", Command 540, 5 December 1988 and "Employment in the Ports: The Dock Labour Scheme", Command 664, 6 April 1989. Proposals first published in Command 9794 were incorporated in the 1988 Employment Bill which was first read in the Commons on 30 November 1988. Clause 21 of the Bill (now the Employment Bill 1989) was incorporated on 16 March of this year and derives from Command 540. The Dock Work Bill had its First Reading on 7 April of this year.
It is not for me to answer for the record of the last Government in this matter, but the information requested should be available in the Library of the House and the Official Report.