§ 9. Sir Ian Orr-Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Defence when he now expects to receive the report on Service pay from the National Board for Prices and Incomes.
§ Mr. ReynoldsI hope that it will be possible for the Board's report to be published, concurrently with an announcement to the House of the Government's views, about the middle of next month.
§ Sir Ian Orr-EwingAs the Government first referred this to the National Board for Prices and Incomes in November, 1967, and as after the interim settlement in May, 1968, they have therefore had a year, can we be assured that when this settlement comes it will not be yet another interim settlement but will be a final one which will put the Services on a pay and salary scale commensurate with their equivalents in industry?
§ Mr. ReynoldsI do not know as yet what will be the contents of the National Board's report. As the hon. Gentleman will remember, in May of last year the Government asked the National Board to give us its final report by the end of May of this year. I am confident that the National Board will meet that target. Thus, the report will come during the Parliamentary Recess. I am merely asking for about two and a half weeks for the Government to consider the report, to take a decision, and to make a statement to the House.
§ Rear-Admiral Morgan-GilesIf the principle is comparability with the civilian rates and the civilian rates have ipso facto already been sent to the Prices and Incomes Board, what is the point of referring Service pay for the second time?
§ Mr. ReynoldsThe hon. and gallant Gentleman is anticipating what might be in the report. I do not know in any detail what the National Board is likely to report. I suggest that we wait until we get the report and the Government's views on it. Then I have no doubt that hon. Gentlemen will wish to discuss the matter in detail.
§ Mr. RamsdenIs it not extremely unsatisfactory when Ministers continue to dissociate themselves from responsibility for the eventual level of Service pay and push the question on to the National Board, when everybody knows that it is a determining factor in the level of recruitment, which at present is very unsatisfactory?
§ Mr. ReynoldsI made it perfectly clear in the recent defence debates that the Government must accept responsibility for the level of Service pay and any effect that it has or does not have on recruiting. We have asked the National Board for advice. We expect to receive that advice by the end of this month. It will take some time—about two and a half weeks—for us to consider the advice, take a decision, and then report the matter to the House.