§ Sir E. NICHOLLasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether certain grades in the Civil Service have obtained increases of their salaries by means of a departmentally controlled index figure of the cost of living; whether the Civil Servants so benefited are thus enabled to escape their share of the burden of War costs and taxation, and why such privileges should be continued?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINCivil Servants have been granted a bonus on a sliding scale which is based on the official index figure of cost of living, but I should explain that a bonus equivalent to the full cost of living increase is payable only to Civil Servants in receipt of remuneration of 35s. a week or less. With regard to the latter part of the question, these and other Civil Servants, equally with the members of the community, are required to bear their appropriate share of taxation, and I see no reason for discontinuing the present bonus system.