asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of workers in Wales on the temporary short-time working compensation scheme, at the end of each quarter since 1 April 1980; and if he will estimate the total number of workers that have benefited from this scheme in Wales since its inception.

The information specifically relates to each quarter and based on the numbers of workers for whom payments are made is as follows:

	Number
30 June 1980	19,050
30 September 1980	24,600
31 December 1980	45,900
31 March 1981	54,600
30 June 1981	33,485
30 September 1981	15,740
31 December 1981	10,803
31 March 1982	11,440
30 June 1982	3,078
30 September 1982	2,691
31 December 1982	n.a.
n.a. Not available.

It is estimated that, between the start of the scheme on 2 April 1979 and the end of September 1982, about 200,000 people in Wales had participated. There have been changes in the rules of the scheme since it was first introduced, some of which have affected the numbers participating.