§ Lord BEAUMONT of WHITLEY asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ What progress has been made in their review of the alleged need for confidentiality with regard to the comparability studies of the Pay Research Unit.
§ Lord SHEPHERDThis matter is under consideration, but as I explained to the noble Lord in the debate on the Civil Service (Hansard, 11th December 1975) this is a sensitive area in which it is 1569 necessary to proceed with caution. The Pay Research process is at present suspended. The intention is to complete the study of the question, and to discuss it with the interested parties before the suspension is lifted.