HC Deb 13 November 1979 vol 973 cc516-7W
Mr. Wm. Ross

asked the Secretary of for Education and Science when he now expects committee B of the universities' negotiating machinery for the pay of university teachers to meet; and how long after that meeting it would be before he would make an offer which restore pay levels to those recommended by the Leggatt arbitration.

Dr. Boyson

I have nothing yet to add to the answer I gave to a similar question from my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (Mr. Rhodes James) on 25 October.—[Vol. 922, c. 255.]

Mr. Wm. Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science by what average percentage the pay of university teachers now falls behind the levels recommended by the Leggatt award.

Dr. Boyson

An abritration board in June 1975, under the chairmanship of Mr. Andrew Leggatt, QC, awarded salary scales for university non-clinical teachers which the board deemed appropriate as at October 1974—but payable only from October 1975—having regard to the salaries recommended by the Houghton committee 1974—Cmnd. 5848—for teachers employed in further education establishments other than universities.

University teachers have received various salary increases subsequent to that arbitration award, including a supplement of 12.1 per cent. on average designed to rectify an anomaly that arose from the introduction of the Labour Government's pay policy in July 1975. There is no unique measure of the amount by which the pay of university teachers may be deemed to have fallen relatively behind what was intended by the 1975 arbitration award.

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