asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of the total work force is employed in the manufacturing and service sectors, respectively, in each of the member countries of the EEC according to the latest available figures.
There is no information from international sources for comparisons of the work force in manufacturing as that sector is normally defined in the United Kingdom. The table below gives work-force comparisons for a wider industry sector which includes manufacturing. In 1974 about 32 per cent. of the work force in the United Kingdom was in manufacturing.I regret that information for Denmark and Ireland is not available.
| Percentage of employed labour force in: | ||
| Industry | Services | |
| United Kingdom | 43·7 | 53·6 |
| Germany | 47·3 | 45·8 |
| France | 39·1 | 50·0 |
| Italy | 44·3 | 40·5 |
| Netherlands | 40·0 | 53·8 |
| Belgium | 42·9 | 52·1 |
| Luxembourg | 42·2 | 48·9 |
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of the total work force are employed in the public sector—excluding publicly owned industries—in each of the member countries of the EEC according to the latest available statistics.
I regret that the information is not available. The public sector, as commonly understood, covers varying proportions of the total work force in EEC but these proportions cannot be calculated from the available information.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average amount of overtime worked in each of the member countries of the EEC according to the latest available figures.
In Great Britain the average number of hours of overtime worked per operative working overtime in manufacturing industries was 8·5 in December 1975. Information on overtime worked is not available for Northern Ireland nor for other member countries of the EEC.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average number of hours worked per week in each of the member countries of the EEC according to the latest available figures.
The latest available estimates from international sources on the average number of hours worked per week are given in the table below. I regret that comparable information is not available for Denmark.
| AVERAGE WEEKLY HOURS OF WORK PER MANUAL WORKER | ||
| Country | Date | Average Weekly Hours |
| United Kingdom | October 1974 | 42·9 |
| Germany | October 1974 | 41·7 |
| France | October 1974 | 43·8 |
| Italy | April 1974 | 41·7 |
| Netherlands | October 1973 | 43·0 |
| Belgium | October 1974 | 39·5 |
| Luxembourg | October 1974 | 43·6 |
| Ireland | December 1974 | 41·3 |
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average length of holidays, including public holidays, enjoyed by workers in each of the member countries of the EEC, according to the latest available figures.
| PAID HOLIDAYS IN 1974 FOR ADULT WORKERS | |||
| United Kingdom | Belgium | Germany | |
| Annual Paid Holidays (days) | |||
| (a) Basic holidays for adults paid by legislation | — | 18 | 15–18 |
| (b) Basic holidays for adults laid down in collective agreements | 15–18 | 21–23 | 20–26 |
| Public Holidays | |||
| (a) Public holidays paid for and not worked fixed by legislation | 7 | 10 | 10–13 |
| (b) Public holidays paid for and not worked fixed by legislation and laid down in collective agreements | 7–8 | 10 | 10–13 |
| France | Italy | Luxembourg | |
| Annual Paid Holidays (days) | |||
| (a) Basic holidays for adults paid by legislation | 24 | 12 | 18–24 |
| (b) Basic holidays for adults laid down in collective agreements | 24 | 18–24 | 18–24 |
| Public Holidays | |||
| (a) Public holidays paid for and not worked fixed by legislation | 1 | 16 | 10 |
| (b) Public holidays paid for and not worked fixed by legislation and laid down in collective agreements | 8–10 | 17–18 | 10 |
| Netherlands | Ireland | Denmark | |
| Annual Paid Holidays (days) | |||
| (a) Basic holidays for adults paid by legislation | 15–18 | 10–12 | 24 |
| (b) Basic holidays for adults laid down in collective agreements | 19–21 | 15–18 | 24 |
| Public Holidays | |||
| (a) Public holidays paid for and not worked fixed by legislation | — | 7 | 9½ |
| (b) Public holidays paid for and not worked fixed by legislation and laid down in collective agreements | 7 | 7–8 | 9½ |
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of the total population constitutes the workforce in each of the member countries of the EEC according to the latest available figures.
The latest available comparable data showing the work force as a percentage of the total population are given in the table below.
| Labour force as a proportion of total population 1973 | |
| per cent. | |
| United Kingdom | 44·8 |
| Germany | 42·4 |
| France | 41·8 |
| Italy | 33·2 |
| Netherlands | 35·0 |
| Belgium | 37·4 |
| Luxembourg | 38·9 |
| Ireland | 36·4 |
| Denmark | 47·9 |
The latest available information on the length of holidays in the member countries of the EEC is given in the table below.