asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the surveys on farm income, et cetera or other inquiries made by the Agricultural Wages Board on farm income which were taken into account by the board in assessing the ability of agricultural employers, as distinct from farmers, to pay minimum rates of wages since the commencement of national wages agreements; if he is aware that some of the board's orders made provision for pay increases which were only 50p per week less than the appropriate national agreement award; and if he has any information to suggest that farm employers were unable to pay an additional 50p per week.
Written Answers. - Farm Income Survey.
92.
The Agricultural Wages Board are an autonomous body who have the responsibility of fixing minimum wage rates for agricultural workers from time to time as they think proper after consultation with statutory committees for the agricultural wages areas. There is no obligation on the board to inform me of the precise basis on which they determine individual increases in minimum rates, but I am aware that all relevant factors are taken into consideration, including the trend of wages generally and the capacity of agricultural employers to pay.