§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about the pay of medical and dental officers in the armed forces. [53364]
§ The Prime MinisterThe Armed Forces Pay Review Body has made recommendations on the pay of Medical and Dental Officers in the Armed Forces. The Review Body recommends that all Medical and Dental Officers, in the ranks of Major and above, should receive a 5.2 per cent. increase, and Officers in the rank of Captain and below should receive a 4.2 per cent. increase, from 1 April 1998. The Review Body further recommends that the pay scales for qualified General Medical Practitioners and General Dental Practitioners in the rank of Major should be restructured to ensure broad comparability of earning with their civilian counterparts, particularly in the first half of a career. The Review Body also considers that the pay of Service General Dental Practitioners has fallen behind their NHS counterparts and recommend that those Officers should receive an additional £1,000 per annum.
The Government have decided to accept the Review Body's recommendations. In line with all awards to Pay Review Body remit groups, the award will be paid in two stages; 2 per cent. of the award will be payable from 1 April 1998 with the remainder payable from 1 December 1998.