§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Lord President of the Council what progress he has made in implementing the resolution of the House of July 1975 which recommended that the salary of a Member should be linked to the salary of an Assistant Secretary in the Civil Service; and what currently is that salary.
§ Mr. FootThe House will have to consider the whole issue of Members' pay again in due course, but continuing incomes policy rules out progress at the present time. The current national salary scale for the Assistant Secretary grade is £8,650–£11,000.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Lord President of the Council when he intends to bring forward a resolution to implement the recommendations of the Top Salaries Review Body which were agreed in July 1975.
§ Mr. FootThe recommendations in the Top Salaries Review Body's Report No. 7 concerning Members' allowances were implemented in full with effect from 13th June 1975. As my predecessor said in his statement of 16th July 1975—[Vol. 895, c. 1503–7]—the recommendation that the Members' salary should be increased to £8,000 could not be supported against the background of the measures the Government had proposed in the attack on inflation. I have at present no plans to introduce a resolution to implement this recommendation.
268W
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Lord President of the Council (1) what would be the current salary of a Member at the latest convenient date to take into account the increase in inflation which has occurred since the award which took effect on 1st January 1972;
(2) what would be the current salary of a Member at the latest convenient date to take into account the increase in the cost of living which has occurred since the award which took effect on 1st January 1972.
§ Mr. FootIf the gross salary of a Member at 1st January 1972—£4,500 were to be increased in line with the movement of the Index of Retail Prices between 1st January 1972 and February 1977 the resulting gross salary would be £9,450.