§ Mr. Steelasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the criteria used to determine the timing of the 1986 pay rise for Scottish ambulancemen.
§ Mr. George YoungerUnder an offer made by the management side of the ambulance Whitley council as part of the 1985 round of pay negotiations ambulancemen's pay in 1986 will be affected by a salary restructuring, to be implemented in March 1986 in England and Wales and September 1986 in Scotland. Because average earnings in Scotland are at present substantially lower than in England and Wales, the restructuring will give Scottish ambulancemen a significant increase in earnings, bringing them up to the national average. To allow time for the management of the Scottish ambulance service to accommodate the costs of this and to seek efficiency savings, the management side offered a later operative date in Scotland than in England and Wales.
Pay in 1986 for ambulancemen and women will be negotiated within the ambulance Whitley council in the normal way. The negotiations cannot begin until the consultations which the staff side is currently undertaking with its membership on the restructuring offer are completed and a settlement on the 1985 negotiations has been reached.