HC Deb 22 May 1953 vol 515 cc193-4W
Dr. Broughton

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what information he has received from the British Medical Association with regard to its refusal to publish advertisements of

as trunk roads, Class II increased to Class I, Class III to Class II and from unclassified roads to Class III since April 1950 to date.

Mr. Braithwaite

The figures are:

vacant medical appointments in the Civil Service; what is the subject at issue that has given rise to this decision; and what action he is taking to remedy the situation.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

The British Medical Association indicated some time ago that, if advertisements of these posts were offered for insertion in the British Medical Journal, they would not be accepted, and I received on 7th May a letter from the Association saying that they still adhere to that decision. Vacancies are not now being advertised and therefore no question of refusal to insert advertisements at present arises.

The reason, I understand, for the British Medical Association attitude is that they do not regard as satisfactory the present salaries, which are those recommended by an independent Committee under Sir Harold Hewitt's chairmanship in 1951. I have discussed the matter several times with a joint committee of the British Medical Association, the Medical Staff Association of the Ministry of Health, and the Institution of Professional Civil Servants, and I offered to reconvene the Howitt Committee to review the present salaries. This offer was rejected. I have made other suggestions for settling this matter, but so far without result.