HL Deb 01 August 1961 vol 234 cc49-50

2.40 p.m.

LORD AMULREE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government—

  1. (1) what is the number of junior medical teachers who carry out duties, with or without an honorary contract in the National Health Service of similar nature and carrying similar responsibilities to their colleagues working in the Service; and
  2. (2) why these junior doctors have not received back pay, as recommended by the Pilkington Committee, on the same scale as their colleagues above mentioned.]

THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (THE EARL OF DUNDEE)

My Lords, there were about 900 clinical medical teachers below professorial status in post in the universities in October, 1960. Information is not available about the number of these, with or without honorary contracts, who are carrying out duties of a similar nature to hospital doctors in the National Health Service. The answer to the second part of the noble Lord's Question is that, as in the case of professors about whom I answered on June 21, it was not considered right to make greater retrospective payments to these university teachers than to other university staff whose salaries were revised from January 1, 1960, having regard particularly to the fact that university clinical teachers, because of their medical qualifications, in any case receive higher salaries than other university teachers.

LORD AMULREE

My Lords, I should like to thank the noble Earl for his full and 'informative reply. But supposing a similar situation were to arise, when separate arrangements have been made between the two bodies in regard to doctors, could steps be taken to avoid this rather unfortunate anomaly taking place in the future?

THE EARL OF DUNDEE

My Lords, I will certainly pass on that suggestion. I quite understand what it is based on.