§ 32. Mr. H. Hyndasked the Minister of Works what increases in wages will be given to employees of his Department to help them in meeting increased rents and Purchase Tax.
§ The Minister of Works (Mr. Nigel Birch)None, Sir.
§ Mr. HyndDoes the Minister not recognise that these increased charges will be a burden on the workers and will lead 1644 to wage demands? Would it not be a welcome innovation for the Government as a model employer for once to initiate a wage increase?
§ Mr. BirchIt has not generally been held that increases or decreases in taxation which apply to everybody are sufficient reasons for changes in remuneration.
§ 37. Mr. Lewisasked the Minister of Works the total number of employees in his Department, at a stated date, in each of the years 1951 to 1955, respectively; and the total annual wage and salary bill for these employees, for each year.
§ Mr. BirchAs the reply contains a table of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the table:
| 1st October in Year | Non-Industrial Staff | Annual Salaries | Industrial Staff | Annual Wages | |
| £ | £ | ||||
| 1951 | … | 15,958 | 9,310,000 | 20,475 | 7,026,000 |
| 1952 | … | 14,938 | 9,575,000 | 19,063 | 7,458,000 |
| 1953 | … | 14,207 | 9,685,000 | 18,060 | 7,360,000 |
| 1954 | … | 13,659 | 9,756,000 | 17,428 | 7,331,000 |
| 1955 | … | 13,050 | 9,917,000 | 15,439 | 7,013,000 |