asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report an analysis of the extent of industrial action in each of the years 1970 to 1981, showing (a) the number of stoppages, (b) the number of stoppages per 1,000 employees, (c) the number of working days lost, and (d) the number of working days lost per 1,000 employees, distinguishing: (i) central Government, (ii) local authorities, (iii) public corporations, (iv) public sector, (v) private sector and (vi) the total.

Information in the form requested is available from 1973 only, and is given in the following tables. The figures are not comprehensive or fully comparable between the public and private sectors because of the difficulty of ensuring full recording of small disputes. Moreover, some stoppages involving workers in both the public and private sectors have been allocated to the sector more affected.