asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the estimated number of jobs which will be incorporated into the Dock Labour Scheme if the consultative document "Dock work" is implemented; (2) how many cold food stores, of what total capacity, would be covered by the Dock Labour Scheme if the proposals in "Dockwork" were fully implemented.

The proposals for legislation in the consultative document "Dock-work" are that the National Dock Labour Board should have the initial responsibility for recommending where, in the circumstances as set out in the document, it would be appropriate and desirable for the coverage of the Dock Labour Scheme to be extended. It would be wrong for me to anticipate how the board would discharge a statutory function of this kind.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what comparative figures are available giving an indication of the relative incidence of industrial disputes, numbers of days lost and workers involved, amongst those covered by the present Dock Labour Scheme and those that would be incorporated into it if the proposals in "Dockwork" were put into effect.

No comparative figures are available but the National Dock Labour Board's annual report gives the number of man days lost as a direct result of industrial disputes involving registered dockworkers.