HC Deb 13 December 1978 vol 960 c657
37. Mr. Iain MacCormick

asked the Lord Advocate if his Department has reached agreement with the Procurator Fiscal in Oban regarding a revision of the latter's conditions of service.

The Lord Advocate

The salary of the part-time Procurator Fiscal at Oban was raised with effect from 1st April 1978. The secretarial allowance has more recently been updated. No other changes have been made.

Mr. MacCormick

In view of the current nature of the position of the Procurator Fiscal in Oban, does not the Lord Advocate think that his Department was rigid in the way that it carried out negotiations with him? Does the right hon. and learned Gentleman regard the arrangements that have been made as satisfactory?

The Lord Advocate

The House of Commons is not the place to negotiate salaries. In a period of pay restraint it must be the exception rather than the rule to find anyone who is not in the position of accepting increases while wishing that a greater increase had been made. I dare say that some hon. Members of this House feel that way.