§ Mr. Evelyn Kingasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state, in £ sterling, the pay for a major in his first year of service in the Swiss, German, French and British Armies, respectively.
§ Mr. Mulley,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 23rd May 1978; Vol. 950, c. 463], gave the following information:
The approximate annual basic salary, expressed in £ sterling at current exchange 526W rates, for a major in his first year of service in the following armies is:
£ Swiss 14,000 German 7,800 French 7,000 British (1st April 1978 rate) 6,296 The above figures, however, are not in any way comparable since they take no account of differences in the cost of living in each country and possible differences in the ranges of responsibility at each rank in the four armies quoted. In addition to basic pay, there are also many different kinds of additional pay, allowances, and benefits in kind. None of these is standard throughout the four armies.