HC Deb 18 March 1957 vol 567 cc18-9W
Vice-Admiral Hughes Hallett

asked the Secretary to the Treasury taking into consideration the changes in the cost of living, of taxation, of family allowances, and other relevant factors, what gross salary would a married man with three children have to earn today to have the same spending power as a man in similar circumstances would have had in January, 1952, whose salary at that date was £500, £1,000 or £1,500, respectively.

Mr. Birch

A married man with three children would require a gross salary of £571, £1,081 or £1,623 at the present time to secure the same purchasing power, after deduction of Income Tax, as a man in similar circumstances in January, 1952, with a gross salary of £500, £1,000 or £1,500, respectively. These represent increases of 14 per cent., 8 per cent. and 8 per cent. respectively. These figures take account of the increases in family allowances as well as of changes in taxation and of the increase in prices based on the movement in the consumer price index.

Vice-Admiral Hughes Hallett

asked the Secretary to the Treasury the average increase during the past five years in salaries which stood at approximately £500, £1,000, and £1,500, respectively, in January, 1952.

Mr. Birch

No detailed statistics are available about changes in salary rates. However, between the average of the years 1951 and 1952 and the year 1955 the average earnings of all salaried employees in manufacturing industry rose by about 17 per cent.