§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the additional public expenditure required in 1978–79, 1979–80 and 1980–81 to meet the Government's commitment to raise the pay of the Armed Forces to comparable civilian levels by April 1980, assuming an increase in comparable civilian pay of 10 per cent. per annum.
§ Mr. Wallasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if comparability is to be restored by April 1980, what would be the monthly pay of a corporal, a sergeant, a lieutenant and a colonel, respectively, now, and in April 1979 and in April 1980 assuming the same average increase in national pay rates as in the past two years;
717W(2) assuming the average percentage increase in national rates of pay as in the past two years, what percentage increase would have to be awarded to the Services in order to restore comparability in April 1979 and April 1980.
§ Mr. MulleyI cannot agree with the assumptions of future civilian or national pay levels and therefore any figures on the lines requested would be misleading.
The cost of increasing Service pay in the current award is about £155 million. The percentage increase in April 1979 and April 1980 will be, on average, 9.5 per cent. each year—representing about £115 milion for each year—to restore the current position, together with a percentage in each of those years to update the award appropriately.
Current levels of Service pay are set out in pay scales placed in the Vote Office. Increases in the pay of individual ranks in April 1979 and April 1980 will be within the above totals—including the updating—but will depend on the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body each year, which will take into account the levels of outside pay at the time.