HC Deb 18 February 1971 vol 811 cc519-21W
9. Mr. Greville Janner

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the rate of

POLICE CONSTABLES (PROVINCIAL FORCES)
RATES OF PAY FOR A CONSTABLE JOINING THE SERVICE AT THE AGE OF 22 OR MORE
1950 1960 1965 1967 1969 1970
£ p.a. £ p.a. £ p.a. £ p.a. £ p.a. £ p.a.
Minimum … … 330 600 700 870 945 1,025
Maximum … … 420 970 1,105 1,205 1,310 1,420

resignations from the police force, he will now instruct his representatives on the Police Council to propose an immediate increase in police pay.

46. Mr. Golding

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will announce a decision on police pay.

50. Mr. Wellbeloved

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a statement on police pay.

Mr. Maudling

The meeting of the Police Council arranged for 11th February was postponed; but I understand that the official side has undertaken to make proposals for a new pay structure at a meeting on 25th February.

38. Mr. Iremonger

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the average lapse of time between the triennial dates for police pay reviews and settlements over the past 10 years; and what steps are taken in anticipation of each review to prevent delay in the negotiations.

Mr. Sharples

Under a Police Council agreement made in 1962 police pay is reviewed every two years with an effective date of 1st September. These reviews have taken, on average, two to three months to complete. The two sides usually begin preliminary negotiations in July.

61. Mr. Edwin Wainwright

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the rates of pay to policemen for the years 1950, 1960, 1965, 1967, 1969 and 1970, respectively; and if he will also give, for those years, the average weekly earnings for skilled and semi-skilled men in industry.

Mr. Sharples

Following are the figures:

Revised rates of pay for the police from September 1970 are under negotiation.

Comparable figures for skilled and semi-skilled men in industry are not available, but the average weekly earnings for male manual workers over 21 were:

£ s. d.
1950 … … … 7 10 5
1960 … … … 14 10 8
1965 … … … 19 1 9
1967 … … … 21 7 6
1969 … … … 24 16 5
1970 … … … 28 0 11

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he will not instruct his representative on the Police Council to recommend that in future police salaries should be adjusted by the same percentages and on the same dates as the salaries of judges, chairmen of nationalised boards and higher-paid civil servants.

Mr. Sharples

I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave in reply to the hon. Member's Question on 21st January. —[Vol. 809, c. 320–4.]