§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will give for the longest and most convenient stated period of time the annual, quarterly or other convenient stated period the actual or estimated increased earnings on a national basis; and what the salary of hon. Members would be to date if their salaries had increased on the same national percentage basis.
§ Mr. Jim LesterFor the decade to 1980 the increases in national average earnings, based on full-time male employees in the new earnings survey, have been as follows:
Average weekly earnings of men aged 21 and over in full-time employment whose pay was not affected by absence percentage increase over previous April April 1971 10.9 April 1972 11.4 April 1973 14.1 April 1974 13.9 April 1975 27.4 April 1976 18.1 April 1977 9.5 April 1978 13.2 April 1979 13.7 April 1980 22.4 If the cumulative percentage increase between 1970 and 1980 is applied to the 1970 parliamentary salary of £3,250 —inclusive of expenses—it becomes £13,620.
Changes in average weekly earnings will, however, reflect factors other than changes in basic rates of pay, such as changes in overtime working, payments from incentive and bonus schemes, and changes in the structure of employment.
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