§ Mr. Armstrongasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will deal with the salaries claim submitted by the Association of University Teachers; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CroslandThe Government have been considering the Association's claim for a revision of salaries and for new machinery to determine the salaries of university teachers in the future. Following a first round of meetings with the main parties concerned I have concluded that some adjustment of salaries ought not to await a decision on future machinery.
The Government believe that university teachers, other than clinical medical staff who are being considered separately, should now be given an increase consistent with the prices and incomes policy. I have therefore informed the University Grants Committee that the current salary scales and ranges for such staff should be increased by 5 per cent. as from 1st April, 1966, and that this increase should last for a minimum period of one year. Provision will be made for supplementary recurrent grant of the order of £3¼ millions for this purpose in the coming year. The Government are unable to accept the Association's claim for a revaluation dating back to April, 1964, and for a further adjustment from April, 1965. They consider that the April, 1964 settlement, granting an average 14 per cent. salary increase as recommended by the National Incomes Commission, should be allowed to run unchanged for a full two years.
Detailed arrangements for the application of the latest increases will be worked out by the University Grants Committee.
I intend to continue the recent discussions about how the salaries of university teachers should be settled in future. 269W Meanwhile the existing arrangements will continue to be available to the interested parties until they are replaced by new machinery.