asked the Secretary of State for Employment now many trade unions appoint their full-time officials and what is the total membership of these unions; and how many trade unions elect their full-time officials by the votes of rank and file members and what is the total membership of these unions.

There are about 500 trade unions in Great Britain, with a total membership of about 11½ million. Among 22 large trade unions which between them have a total membership of 8 million—that is, nearly 70 per cent. of all trade unionists—there are nine, with 2⅓ million members, which appoint their full-time officials; six, with 1,800,000 members, which elect their full-time officials by the votes of rank-and-file members; and seven, with 3,800,000 members, which use a combination of both methods.