§ 8. Mr. Juddasked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the action he is taking following the introduction of phase 2 to improve the remuneration of lower paid civilian personnel in Ministry of Defence establishments, and on the action he is taking to remove the anomalies in the rates of pay to such civilian personnel.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourRates of pay of civilians employed in Ministry of Defence establishments are common to the Civil Service as a whole. Increases within the limits applying during the present stage of counter-inflation policy are a matter for discussion by the appropriate negotiating bodies.
§ Mr. JuddWill the hon. Gentleman see to it that he does everything possible to guarantee that there is absolutely no delay in implementing any increase that is due following the annual review? Is he aware that there are still far too many civilians in these establishments on deplorably low rates of pay? What action will be taken to improve their predicament? Finally, will the hon. Gentleman take action with the Civil Service Department to remove anomalies whereby too many people who are doing exactly the same work are on completely different rates of pay?
9. Mr. R. C. Mitchellasked the there is no delay. The question of low pay generally is a matter for discussion between Government Departments and the trade unions. As for anomalies, there are bound to be discrepancies in an organisation as large as the Ministry of Defence. We shall do our best to remove them as much as we can.