§ Mr. Ron Thomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the 10 per cent. pay offer were accepted by the Fire Brigades Union, what would be the net increase in firemen's pay after the deduction for standard rate income tax for a family of two children under 11 years of age, increased pensions and national insurance payments and the increased cost of school meals for the two children of school age.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe current weekly rates of pay of whole-time firemen were given in my answer to a Question on 521W 16th June 1977 by my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Lewis). The effect on these weekly rates from 7th November 1977 if the 10 per cent. pay offer was accepted was given in my answer to a Question on 18th November by my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, South (Mr. George). I cannot give details of take-home pay of individual firemen, which varies according to individual circumstances.—[Vol. 933, c. 225–6; Vol. 939, c. 374–6.]
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the failure of the Government on various occasions during the past years to implement independent reports on the salaries and conditions of firemen, what is the basis of the guarantee of the implementation of the new offer to the firemen on their conditions of employment.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesGuidance on the framework within which an agreement might be reached which could be underwritten by the Government was set out in my statement to the House on 8th December. As I explained in my answer on 13th December to two Questions by my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, North-West, I am writing to him about the extent to which inquiries into fire service pay and conditions of service in recent years have been implemented by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades.—[Vol. 940, c.1651–2; Vol. 941, c. 130.]