§ Mr. McElhoneasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the reasons for his decision with regard to resolving the pay anomaly affecting some 14,500 unappointed clerical staff in the Scottish banks.
§ Mr. BoothMy right hon. Friend received joint representations from the Joint Negotiating Council of the Scottish Banking Industry seeking his consent to salary increases outside the pay limit which would have rectified an anomaly created by the Counter-Inflation legislation. Having given careful consideration to this case he adjudged that the circumstances were insufficiently exceptional to warrant the exercise of his consent powers. In arriving at this decision my right hon. Friend was mindful that the Pay Board has rejected a large number of claims for adjustment under the anomaly provisions in the Pay Code, and that to have given a consent to the Scottish banks would have justified many claims for exceptional treatment in other cases of equal merit.