§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Defence, in view of disquiet amongst Service men in the British Army of the Rhine at the higher salaries and expenses paid to civilian staffs for jobs which could be done by Service men, if he will take steps to remove the causes of disquiet; and if he will publish in the Official Report figures giving a comparison of salaries and allowances for civilians and Service men in the British Army of the Rhine.
§ Mr. GoodhartThere are differences between the conditions of service of Service men and civilians, which are reflected in their pay and allowances. This makes meaningful comparisons difficult. Illustrative figures are reproduced below, however, of gross salaries and allowances paid to a representative cross-section of broadly comparable grades of Service men and civilians. The rates are averages, and do not reflect the recently announced increases in military salaries from 1 April 1981.
Annual Local Overseas Allowance Military Staff Annual Salary £ Married £ Single £ Warrant Officer II 8,527 2,014 821 Captain 8,567 2,014 959 Major 11,209 2,266 1,131 Lieutenant-Colonel 14,155 2,565 1,233
Annual Foreign Service Allowance Civilian Staff Annual Salary £ Married £ Single £ Clerical Officer 5,409 1,855 1,095 Executive Officer 7,349 2,135 1,095 Higher Executive Officer 9,247 2,415 1,095 Senior Executive Officer 11,235 2,690 1,095 All United Kingdom based civilians serving with the British Army of the Rhine are filling posts in the supporting services and it would be a waste of scarce military resources to employ Service men on work which can be effectively discharged by civilian personnel. Most of these posts have no requirement for military experience nor an operational role. For example, of the 1,966 United Kingdom based civilians serving in BAOR at 1 April 1981, 1,349 were personnel employed on the education of the children of Service men and United Kingdom based officials. Of the remainder, 107 were employed in the scientific and technical area and 510 were engaged in administrative duties.