§ 25. Mr. Tim Rentonasked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he has plans to reactivate the Civil Service Pay Research Unit.
§ The Minister of State, Civil Service Department (Mr. Charles R. Morris)As I explained to the hon. Member on 2nd August, the unit, now with a substantially reduced complement, is engaged on certain duties of a care and maintenance nature. There are at present no plans to reactivate the work the unit undertook before the suspension of pay research in the Civil Service. This will depend on the future development of national pay policy.
§ Mr. RentonI find that a very unsatisfactory reply. Is not the Minister deeply disturbed at the prospect of 1977 being yet another year in which Civil Service pensions will rise by between 15 per cent. and 20 per cent. while the pay of people in work will rise by only 3 per cent.? Does he not think that the time has come when, as with private sector occupational pensions, a limit must be placed on the extent to which Civil Service pensions may rise each year?
§ Mr. MorrisI should perhaps explain to the hon. Gentleman that the Pay Research Unit establishes the facts about salaries, pensions and conditions in the private sector and that it is on those facts 21 that negotiations between the unions and the Government take place.