§ Mr. James Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a. statement about the pay of medical and dental officers in the Armed Forces.
§ Mr. MasonThe Supplement to the Fourth Report of the Review Body on Armed Forces Pay, covering the pay of Service medical and dental officers and of officers of the non-Regular permanent staffs of the Ulster Defence Regiment and he Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve, was published on Friday 25th July as Command 6146. The Government are most grateful to the Review Body for its work in preparing the supplement.
Neither of the groups with which the supplement is concerned has had a principal pay increase since 1st April 1974, when statutory controls were in force. The recommendations of the Review Body are an integral part of its main review of Serivce pay, with an effective date of 1st April 1975. They therefore form part of the current pay round and are not affected by the policy in Command 6151 governing settlements effective in the next pay round starting on 1st August 1975.
The increases proposed for medical and dental officers are in line with those awarded to general medical practitioners in the National Health Service with effect from that date, and those for the Ulster Defence Regiment are linked to increases approved for the Regular Forces.
The Government have accepted the recommendations.