§ Sir S. Summersasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent automatic salary increases on agreed scales operate in the Civil Service, the National Health Service and the teaching profession; and what is the percentage annual average increase in each of these categories of employment.
§ Sir E. Boyle:The system of basic salary scales with regular incremental progression from a minimum to a maximum is in general use in the non-industrial Civil Service at all except the highest levels, in the National Health Service and in the teaching profession. Incremental scales are not a feature of the pay structure of staff in the Civil Service and National Health Service who are employed on industrial conditions of service.
The average annual increment is between 3 and 4 per cent. for each of these professions, but this covers wide variations in the absolute and proportionate size of increments. This does not of course represent a steady increase in cost of that order, since membership of a grade is constantly turning over as those who go out at the top of the scale are replaced by those who come in at the bottom.