asked the Secretary of State for Employment what consultations he had with the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors, the Association of British Chambers of Commerce and the Independent Businesses Association before authorising the recent investigations into low pay undertaken by the Wages Inspectorate.

None. The saturation inspections formed part of the programme of random selection to which my Department has long been publicly committed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the cost to public funds of the recent investigations into low pay organised by the Wages Inspectorate.

The cost over and above the total cost of the Wages Inspectorate was negligible.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many wages inspectors were involved in the investigations into low pay; and what they would have been occupied in doing had there not been such an investigation.

Approximately 100 inspectors have spent one or two weeks each on these inspections since September 1976. Had the inspections not taken place those inspectors would have been carrying out other routine wages inspections or investigating complaints.