§ 15. Mr. Biffenasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what estimate she has made of the trend of executive and senior management salaries in 1968; and what is the expected trend during the current year.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerThe Department's regular survey of salaries covers all salaried workers and does not separately distinguish executives and senior management. Information about the earnings of this group will become available during the spring from a new type of earnings survey. It is hoped to repeat this new type of survey and this will provide information about the trend.
§ Mr. BiffenIs the hon. Gentleman aware that, while the Government machine is limping along, many outside executive employment agencies regularly publish information, all of which indicates that any progressive and commercially aggressive company must pay increases well above 3½ per cent. to keep and recruit the managerial staff that it requires? Is this a situation which the hon. Gentleman accepts as being desirable and consistent with the Government's prices and incomes policy?
§ Mr. WalkerWhat the hon. Gentleman has just said contrasts rather oddly with the repeated criticism of the Opposition of the earnings survey which we instituted. The only private survey to which I have seen reference is the A.I.C. survey which undoubtedly is of interest and value and which I intend to study very carefully. While it says that the salary increases among the groups referred to in this Question have been above 3½ per cent., they are offset to some extent by reduced bonus payments and are far less than the proportionate increases for manual groups.