§ 11. Mr. Nealasked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many vacancies there are in the Mines Inspectorate; and what plans he has to encourage recruitment.
§ Mr. Aubrey JonesThere are 39 vacancies, excluding the specialist grades. I hope that it will soon be possible to offer greatly improved salary scales for the Inspectorate and to hold a further competition for appointments at an early date.
§ Mr. NealIs the Minister aware that that answer is somewhat reassuring, because this is the most overworked and under-paid profession connected with the mining industry? When he is reviewing the salaries of the Inspectorate, will he seek to make them comparable with those of men in similar employment in the service of the Coal Board?
§ Mr. JonesI freely acknowledge the gravity of this problem, and I hope the hon. Gentleman will take my official answer as a token of my concern. I appreciate the need for some comparability between National Coal Board salaries and Inspectorate salaries.