§ Sir Irvine PatnickTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many days were lost due to industrial action in the first quarter of 1996; and what were the equivalent figures for each of the last 15 years. [4818]
§ Mrs. Angela KnightThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Tim Holt to Sir Irvine Patnick, dated 25 November 1996:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on the number of days lost to labour disputes.The data requested are in the attached table.Labour disputes statistics cover all stoppages of work connected with terms and conditions of employment, except those involving fewer than ten workers or lasting less than one day. These are excluded unless the total number of working days lost in the dispute is greater than 100.
Number of working days lost in the United Kingdom due to labour disputes January to March (inclusive) Working days lost (thousands) 1981 1,368 1982 1,916 1983 1,600 1984 3,005 1985 4,577 1986 668 1987 2,067 1988 1,020 1989 186 1990 1,195 1991 135 1992 115 1993 194 1994 15 1995 71 19961 102 1Data for 1996 are provisional.