§ 18. Mr. Lubbockasked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government with regard to expenses during the period of the wages and prices standstill.
Mr. AlbaParagraph 18(1) of the White Paper (Cmnd. 3073) makes it clear that it is not intended that the standstill should be regarded as applying to increases in payments made in specific compensation for expenditure incurred, e.g. travel and subsistence allowances.
§ Mr. LubbockIs the Minister of State aware that certain local authorities propose to increase the expenses paid to councillors and that this will be particularly resented by ratepayer's who are about the one section of the population not being insulated in any way from the economic measures?
§ Mr. AlbuI think that the hon. Gentleman is under a misapprehension. This is not in any sense a pay increase. It is an increase in the maximum level of the financial loss allowance and is payable only to those who suffer actual loss.