§ 35. Mr. Deedesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in order to give effect to his assurances regarding the future of nature conservancy, he will authorise the Conservancy to advertise the coming vacancies for the posts of director- 116W general and deputy director-general, scientific, at levels calculated to attract applications from suitably qualified and experienced men, such as university professors, in the salary range of £4,750 per annum.
§ Mr. CroslandThere has been some misunderstanding about this matter. The facts are as follows:
In accordance with the legislation recently enacted in this House, the activities of the Nature Conservancy will, on 1st June, be taken over by the Natural Environment Research Council. Sir Graham Sutton, F.R.S., Director-General of the Meteorological Office, who is retiring from that post shortly, has been appointed Chairman of this Council; and I recently announced the names of the other distinguished persons who have agreed to serve as members.
The Natural Environment Research Council will have status fully equivalent to that of the other Research Councils.
The new Research Council will be required by its Charter to have a Committee, appointed with my approval, and to be called the Nature Conservancy, the first members of which will be the existing members of the present Conservancy who have agreed to serve in this capacity. All members of the present Conservancy staff become members of the N.E.R.C. staff on 1st June.
In these circumstances, it would clearly be inappropriate for me to decide, a few days before these changes take effect, that there shall be a particular number of posts within the new Council's organisation, bearing particular titles and salaries, and engaged on particular functions.
I have, however, stated, with the agreement of the Chairman, that one post at a salary in the range £4,425–£4,700 will be advertised. The salaries of professors range from £3,400–£4,750, but the average of professorial salaries in any individual university must not exceed £4,200.
The question whether, under the new arrangements, a second post at, or above, that level will be needed will be considered by the N.E.R.C. in the course of a review of all senior staff requirements which will be undertaken as one of their first activities.