§ 44. Mr. GILBERTasked the Home Secretary whether he has received any application from the representative committee of the Metropolitan Police Force for a further increase of pay: whether his Department has come to any decision on the subject; and can he make any statement as to the procedure, by which such applications are dealt with now?
§ Mr. SHORTTAn application was recently made by representatives of the Metropolitan constables that the grant of a bonus to meet the increased cost of living might be considered; and the Police Council, at its first meeting held on 6th July, had before it a proposal made by the Joint Central Committee of the Police Federation that a Committee, consisting of representatives of the Police authorities and of the various ranks of the police service, should be appointed to consider the question of the grant of a non-pensionable addition to the current scales of pay. On the unanimous recommendation of the 224 Council I appointed a Committee for this purpose. After holding three meetings the Committee adjourned until 21st September to enable the representatives of the Police authorities to obtain further information and to ascertain the views of individual police authorities on the subject. No decision as to the grant of any increase has been reached, and I propose to await the Committee's Report. In view of the misleading statements on the subject that have recently appeared in the Press, I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving me an opportunity of explaining the present position in this matter.