§ Mr. Peter Walkerasked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs into which category of exceptions to Her Majesty's Government's Incomes Policy, as outlined in paragraph 15 in the White Paper on Prices and Incomes Policy, the increase in salary for 6,500 tax officers, higher grade, of between 8 and 10 per cent., back dated to 1st January, 1964, comes.
§ Mr. MacDermotI have been asked to reply.
As my right hon. Friend the First Secretary of State explained to the House on Tuesday, 11th May, 1965, pay revisions in the Civil Service are based on the Priestley Commission principle of "fair comparison" with comparable outside employment. Tax Officers (Higher Grade) were the subject of a pay research 302W survey which related to pay and conditions of service in comparable outside employment at 1st January, 1964. In accordance with the 1964 Civil Service Pay Agreement this will be the operative date of the increase for Tax Officers (Higher Grade).
The new rates of pay give increases over existing pay of 5 per cent. at the minimum and 6.8 per cent. at the maximum with somewhat larger increases in the middle of the scale. The compounded annual rate of increase at the maximum over the period since October 1958 when the last increase based on outside evidence was given, is 4 per cent.