§ Mr. ProsserTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the pay of medical and dental officers in the armed forces. [51498]
§ Mr. HoonThe supplement to the 2002 report of the armed forces pay review body making recommendations on the pay of service medical and dental officers has been published today. Copies of the supplement are available in the Vote Office and the Library of the House. I wish to express my thanks to the Chairman and members of the review body for their work in producing this supplement.
The Review Body recommends an overall pay increase of 4.6 per cent. for all Defence medical services medical and dental officers with the exception of qualified general medical practitioners who will receive an increase of 6.8 per cent. The review body also recommends a 4.6 per cent. increase to the sustained quality payments for general medical practitioners; an increase in trainer pay and a small increase in the value and numbers of distinction awards. In addition, there is a recommendation, which will be reviewed next year, for the introduction of an out-of-hours supplement of £5,000 applicable to junior doctors.
The additional cost to the Defence budget will be £7.7 million. This will be met within departmental expenditure limits.
The review body's recommendations are to be accepted in full, with implementation effective from 1 April 2002.