§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Prime Minister what approaches he has received from any chairman or members of nationalised boards for adustment in their salaries; whether any approach has been made to the Government by the Chairman of British Rail; what has been the nature of his reply; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterSeveral chairmen of nationalised industry boards, including the Chairman of British Rail, have written to me to express their concern about the Government's decision to defer consideration of the recommendations for increasing the salaries of nationalised industry board members, contained in the278W Top Salaries Review Body report published last December.
I have replied that while the Government fully appreciate the difficulties of the boards in the matter of salaries, we intend to await the report of the Royal Commission on the Distribution of Income and Wealth before reaching a decision on the Boyle recommendations.