asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now list the advantages and disadvantages he took into account when reaching his decision to retain in existence the wages councils.

It is not possible to list comprehensively all the considerations taken into account. The decision was influenced by the weight of opinion in favour of reform expressed in employers' responses to the consultative paper on wages councils.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those organisations which responded to the consultative paper on the future of wages councils, indicating for each whether they favoured (i) retention, (ii) reform, or (iii) abolition of the councils.

I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible, and will place a copy of my letter in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list, by wages council (i) the minimum wage rates at each age under 21 years old. giving hourly and weekly figures and (ii) the minimum annual holiday for under 21-year-olds.

This information is given in the orders made by wages councils. Copies are available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many new jobs he estimates will be created by the proposal to reform the wages councils.

We expect these reforms to create employment opportunities but there are obvious difficulties in forecasting the number which will eventually be created.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the costs to businesses of compliance with the provisions of wages councils for each area covered.

It is not possible to make such an estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list, by wages council, the number of young workers to be affected by the changes proposed by him on 16 July.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give, for each year since 1979, at current and 1985 prices, the cost of administering the wages councils.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend, the Member for Stirling (Mr. Forsyth) on 27 November 1984 at column 442. I shall write to the hon. Member concerning the other information requested and will place a copy of my letter in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give, for each year since 1974, the number of wages inspectors, and for each year the average length of time between inspections for establishments covered by wages councils.

The wages inspectorate's statistics are expressed in terms of the percentage of establishments checked each year. On that basis the following is the information requested.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will specify those existing functions and duties of wages councils which it is his policy to abolish; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's statement on 17 July about the Government's intentions on the future of wages councils.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the evidence upon which he based his statement of 17 July, Official Report, column 327, regarding the alleged burdens placed upon business by the powers of wages councils.

The evidence lies in the size and complexity of wages council orders and the comments of employers on the problems these present.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the cases referred to him in the House, Official Report, 17 July, column 330, of dismissal of young people, that have been reported to his Department in each of the last 12 months, as a result of the operation of minimum wage levels determined by wages councils.

A number of such cases have been referred to in responses to the consultative paper, letters to Ministers and reports from wages inspectors.