HC Deb 24 October 1978 vol 955 cc833-4W
Mr. Lawson

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of civil servants in his Department involved in monitoring and implementing the Government's pay policy.

Mr. Harold Walker

Apart from the public sector, which is primarily the responsibility of the sponsoring Departments my Department at 1st October employed 82 staff who are mainly concerned with giving advice on the application of the pay guidelines to particular negotiations and who also monitor settlements in the private sector.

Mr. Lawson

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will place in the Library a copy of the official guidance to civil servants on stage 4 of the Government's pay policy.

Mr. David Price

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the notes of guidance for officials conducting pay negotiations, or giving advice to negotiators in the public and private sectors, have been issued with his approval; and what is the legal authority for issuing such notes.

Mr. Booth

I am aware that the text of a document which was designed to clarify for officials conducting pay negotiations or giving advice to negotiators the intentions behind the policy set out in the White Paper, was made public on 29th September. This document was intended for internal use only and, as it stated, it did not and could not add to or substract from the policy set out in the White Paper. I therefore do not propose to place a copy in the library.

Mr. Lawson

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether it is expected that there will be any firms which did not suffer economic sanctions under stage 3 of the Government's pay policy but which will be affected by the provision in stage 4 of the policy that increases in earnings over and above those allowed under stage 3 will be offset against the maximum allowable under stage 4.

Mr. Booth

There is no general provision of this kind in the White Paper "Winning the Battle Against Inflation" (Cmnd 7293), nor in the official guidance. What is required is that settlements in the current round should take account of the extent to which experience shows that increases in earnings tend to exceed the level of settlements. This is quite a separate matter from compliance with pay policy in the previous round.