§ 52. Mr. Harveyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to the difficulties arising from the different scales of war bonus in the case of civil servants, teachers and the staffs of local government authorities; and whether he will consider the introduction of a uniform scale of war bonus to apply to all these classes?
§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir Kingsley Wood)I have no authority which would enable me to fix the amount of war bonus payable to teachers or to the staffs of local government bodies. I do not, however, think that any great difficulties arise by reason of the different scales payable in the fields to which my hon. Friend refers.
§ Mr. HarveyIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware that, on account of the inequality of these scales, there is a danger of a vicious spiral?
§ Sir K. WoodI dare say the hon. Member is aware that the Civil Service bonus is determined by agreement through the Whitley Council, and that the present bonus was fixed as a result of arbitration proceedings. The bonuses paid to local authorities' staffs, of course, vary from place to place. The teachers' bonus, which closely follows the Civil Service scheme, results from a recommendation by the Burnham Committee, which has been accepted by the various local education authorities.