asked the Minister for Economic Planning and Development if it is considered that the operation of EMS will influence wage rate patterns in our economy, viz., British wage rates.

It has been the established practice for wage levels to be determined by the process of free collective bargaining. The extent to which wage rates in Britain may have influenced such bargaining is not clear, since there is no direct or regular relationship in pay rates as between the two countries. Effective and enduring participation in the EMS requires that wage patterns and indeed all price and cost components should be determined in the light of our own economic circumstances.