asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to review the method of compiling statistics relating to the number of days lost in industrial disputes.

The present statistics cover a very high proportion of days lost in both official and unofficial strikes. The methods and coverage of the statistics are very similar to those used in most other industrial countries. However, the system is under review to see whether some amendment is justified, but a considerable amount of investigation is required before coming to final decisions. I shall want to avoid significant increases in costs of data collection, to either industry or the Government.