§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the agreed maximum of £6 a week is to be applied so as to prevent the implementation of incremental pay scales; and, if so, whether he intends that the lost increments will be recovered when the limit no longer applies.
§ Mr. BoothThe policy set out in the White Paper (Cmnd. 6151) provides that increases under already-established incremental scales are payable, provided that this does not raise the overall wage bill608W by more than £6 per head. Where this condition is not satisfied, incremental increases should not be paid in addition to the £6 limit and the cash amount should be applied as a straightforward supplement to earnings. We shall be discussing with the TUC and CBI what will follow the policy set out in the White Paper.