§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the policy of his Department with regard to equal pay for equivalent work in the three armed services; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NeubertThe pay levels of service personnel are recommended by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body based on a system of job evaluation and comparability with civilian jobs of a similar weight. Job evaluation makes no distinction between service men and service women. However, service men's pay contains a 10 per cent. enhancement (the X factor) to compensate for the overall balance of advantage and disadvantage of service life, while service women receive an X factor of 9 per cent. because they are not liable for direct combat duties.