§ Mr. Grimondasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimates he has for the increase or decrease in local authority non-industrial staff and their salaries in the current year.
§ Mr. YoungerI understand that the joint manpower watch report for the quarter ending June 1979 showed that, excluding manual staff, 6,453 more whole-time and part-time staff were employed in June 1979 than in June 1978.
It is estimated that settlements already reached will increase expenditure on salaries payable to non-manual staff in the current financial year by just over 10 per cent. I cannot anticipate the outcome of negotiations yet to take place which may affect expenditure in the remaining part of the financial year.