§ LORD AMULREEMy 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) What is the number of medical teachers employed by the universities who undertake clinical duties similar to their colleagues in the National Health Service and who are paid at similar rates, but who have, nevertheless, received back pay under the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration only to 1st January 1960, whereas their National Health Service colleagues have received such payments retrospective to March, 1957;
- (2) Why these medical teachers have been refused such retrospective payments for the years 1957–59 inclusive.]
§ THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (THE EARL OF DUNDEE)My Lords, there are 220 university medical teachers who receive salaries corresponding to those approved for the National Health Service. All are professors, and I must make it clear that their salaries were not within the scope of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on National Health Service remuneration referred to by the noble Lord, and I cannot therefore accept the comparison implied in the first part of the noble Lord's Question. The answer to the second part of the noble Lord's Question is that it was not considered right to make greater retrospective payments to these university teachers than to other university staff whose salaries were revised from 1st January, 1960, 610 having regard particularly to the fact that university medical teachers in any case, because of their medical qualifications, receive higher salaries than other university teachers.
§ LORD AMULREEMy Lords, while thanking the noble Earl for his full reply, I should like to put in a supplementary, if I may, referring mainly to the young teachers, not to the professors. Does it not seem unjust that young men who are doing the same work and holding the same responsibility as their colleagues under the National Health Service should not be paid in the same way and treated in the same way?
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, I do not know any reason why a professor should not be young. These 220 medical teachers, young or old, are all professors.
§ LORD AMULREEMy Lords, I should like the noble Earl to look into that matter again, because I would ask whether he is quite sure that they are all professors.
§ LORD TAYLORMy Lords, I am quite sure they are not all professors. The total number of professors in this country is a matter of 20 or so. Most of these people are, in fact, readers, lecturers and registrars. I think the noble Earl has been misinformed.
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEI will certainly look into what the noble Lord has said.