§ 36. Mr. Carlisleasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he wil make a statement on the present situation on the dispute with the Police Federation over pay.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesI refer the hon. and learned Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) and Thanet, East (Mr. Aitken).
§ 39. Sir John Hallasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received a copy of the leaflet issued by the Police Federation which states that the average earnings for all non-manual workers in Great Britain is 27 per 197W cent. above the constable's average, and that this estimate is based on the incorrect assumption that policemen work between four and five hours' overtime a week; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesI have seen the statement by the Police Federation, which quotes a figure of £75.22 a week as the average pay of police ranks from constable to inspector. This figure omits the effectively tax-free rent allowance, the average value of which for a constable was shown by a survey in March 1976 to be over £10.50. Allowances for higher ranks were more than this, and there have been increases since then in rent allowances in a number of forces. The present average is therefore more than £10.50, but it could not be calculated without a new survey.