asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence he has relating to Scotland's position in regard to average wages and average costs relative to the rest of the United Kingdom.

The New Earnings Survey 1973 showed that in April 1973 the average gross weekly earnings of full-time adult men in Scotland were £36·1, compared with £37 in Great Britain as a whole.Statistics on average living costs are calculated only on a national basis, and separate figures for Scotland are not available.