HC Deb 01 March 1989 vol 148 cc196-7W
Mr. Latham

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to set up a review of university salaries; and what terms of reference he intends for such a review.

Mr. Jackson

My right hon. Friend has no such plans.

Mr. Latham

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will take steps to intervene in order to assist a settlement in the current dispute regarding the remuneration of university teachers; and what proposals he has for bringing about a meeting of committee A, or asking the chairman of committee A to exercise his powers as an arbitrator.

Mr. Jackson

My right hon. Friend is in correspondence with the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and the Association of University Teachers, about their dispute.

Under the existing arrangements committee A brings together representatives of the vice-chancellors and of the university teachers on a voluntary basis. My right hon. Friend is not represented on committee A and is not involved in decisions whether to convene it.

1989. Mr. Latham

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science why university teachers have so far received no pay award for 1988; and what sum of money he has allocated to the University Grants Committee for salaries in(a) 1988 and (b)

Mr. Jackson

University lecturers received a pay increase of 7.4 per cent. from 1 March 1988 following one of 16.6 per cent. with effect from December 1986. Salary levels are currently under discussion. Grants to the UGC are based on an assessment of universities' needs as a whole and do not, as a rule, treat salaries separately. The Government exceptionally provided conditional additional funding amounting to £40 million in 1987–88, £56 million in 1988–89 and £71 million in 1989–90 in respect of the 1987 academic pay restructuring settlement. The Government have also allocated sums of £3.1 million in 1988 and £2.8 million in 1989 to enable the universities to meet the extra costs of paying salaries to clinical academics in line with settlements following the reports of the review body for doctors and dentists.

Grade 11 January 1980 1 April 1983 1 January 1986 1 February 1989
Grade 5 (Chief Information Officer) 1 1 1
Grade 5 (Assistant Secretary) 1
Personal Secretary 1 1 1 1
Grade 7 (Principal Information Officer) 3 1 2 2
Senior Information Officer 5 5 5 6
Information Officer 7 8 8 11
Assistant Information Officer 1 1 1 1
Graphics Officer (Higher) 1 1 1 1
Graphics Officer (Lower) 4 6 5 5
Senior Executive Officer 1
Executive Officer 2 1 1 2
Administrative Officer 11 8 9 5
Administrative Assistant 2 4 3 3
Total numbers 38 37 37 39
2 Total estimated salary costs £557,550 £539,765 £546,935 £611,952
1 Figures for 1979 are not available.
2 Calculated at current average salary rates for each grade.

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