§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing average earnings per head net of direct taxes and national insurance contributions, in 1950, 1960 and 1974 for each of the following groups: senior Cabinet Ministers, holders of offices and appointments covered by the Boyle Top Salary Review, GPs and dentists within the National Health Service, head teachers in local authority schools, and the five groups who headed the manual workers' wages league in 1974; and if he will show in each case the percentage increases between 1950 and 1974.
§ Mr. Robert Sheldon, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 14th February
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TABLE I Net annual income after tax and national insurance contributions Increase in net income between 1950–51 and 1974–75 1950–51 1960–61 1974–75 £ £ £ Per cent. Cabinet Ministers (excluding the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor) … … … … 2,546 3,087 7,206 183.1 Posts covered by the Top Salaries Review Body. Higher Civil Service Head of the Civil Service … … … 2,127 3,957 8,524 300.8 Permanent Secretary … … … … 2,033 3,792 8,254 306.0 Deputy Secretary … … … … 1,633 3,066 6,510 298.6 Under-Secretary … … … … 1,407 2,520 5,640 300.7 Armed Forces Field Marshal … … … … 2,153 3,449 8,254 283.4 General … … … … … 2,016 3,171 7,798 286.8 Lt.-General … … … … … 1,845 2,862 6,602 257.8 Major-General … … … … 1,651 2,518 5,787 250.4 Nationalised Industries Chairman (major boards) … … … 3,358 4,703 9,853 193.4 Members (major boards) … … … 2,546 3,974 7,878 209.5 Chairman (intermediate boards) … … 2,821 4,284 9,131 223.7 Members (intermediate boards) … … 2,221 3,643 6,880 209.8 Chairman (minor boards) … … … 2,302 3,643 7,902 243.3 Members (minor boards) … … … 1,846 2,651 6,454 249.7 The Judiciary Lord Chief Justice … … … … 3,271 4,703 8,902 172.2 High Court Judges … … … … 2,546 4,139 8,159 220.5 County Court Judge/Circuit Judges … 1,407 2,829 6,060 330.6 Metropolitan Magistrates … … … 1,407 2,546 5,458 287.8 Masters and Registrars of the Supreme Court … … … … … 1,203 2,337 5,619 367.2 Note: In most cases the gross salary used for the calculations was the fixed rate for the job on 1st January 1950, 1960 and 1974 respectively. In other cases the gross salary was an average or a general level. Source: Civil Service Department. 1975; Vol. 886, c. 229], gave the following information:
The information as far as it is available is given in the tables below. As indicated in the footnote to the tables, some of the figures are not on a comparable basis; information required for head teachers in local authority schools cannot be made available without undue expense.
For the purposes of the calculations it has been assumed that the only income tax allowance due is the married person's allowance, that the non-manual workers are contracted out of the graduated pensions scheme and that the manual workers are not contracted out. On this basis the figures are as follows:
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TABLE II Net annual income after tax and national insurance contributions Increase in net income between 1950–51 and 1974–75 1950–51 1960–61 1974–75 £ £ £ Per cent. General medical practitioners(1) … … 1,508 1,788 4,265 182.8 General dental practitioners(2) … … … 1,356 1,833 3,890 186.8 Notes: The gross salaries used for the calculations were: (1) (a) The average "intended" income net of practice expenses (w.e.f. 1st April 1950) of all G.M.P.'s from all sources including private earnings and superannuation contributions paid by the Exchequer. (b) The average "intended" income net of practice expenses (w.e.f. 1st January 1960) of all G.M.P.'s under 70 from official sources only i.e., executive councils, hospitals, local authorities and Government departments. (c) The average "intended" income, net of practice expenses (w.e.f. 1st April 1974) of all G.M.P.'s from family practitioner committees only. (2) The "intended" average income-net of practice expenses-recommended by the appropriate review body. Source: Department of Health and Social Security. 290W
TABLE III Net annual income after tax and national insurance contributions Increase in net income between 1950–51 and 1974–75 1950–51 1960–61 1974–75 £ £ £ Per cent. Manual workers (1) Coal mining (2) … … … … 434 718 2,140 392.5 Paper, printing and publishing … … 383 742 2,034 430.7 Vehicle manufacturing … … … 402 743 1,961 388.0 Metal manufacturing … … … 396 713 1,930 387.8 Bricks, pottery, glass, cement, etc. … … 361 656 1,886 422.1 Ship-building and marine engineering … 363 650 1,886 419.7 Notes: (1) Gross income is based on the annual equivalent of earnings given in the October inquiries made by the Department of Employment. The groups included in the 1974 ranking are those for which comparable figures are available for 1950 and 1960. The actual 1974 "ranking" includes manufacture of coal and petroleum products, transport and communication, other than rail and sea, and chemical and allied industries. These groups would rank 2nd, 5th and 7th places respectively for 1974. (2) Based on estimate supplied by the National Coal Board. These estimates are not fully com parable with the other figures. Source: Department of Employment and National Coal Board.