asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the £105 million 13 per cent. pay increase negotiated for local government manual workers is in conformity with the Government's counter-inflation policy.

The pay settlement reached on 14th December 1973 for local government manual workers has been accepted by the Pay Board as consistent wtih the pay code and was formally approved on 2nd January 1974. The settlement includes an equal pay increase from 1st January 1974 permissible outside the pay limit. Increases subject to the limit add about 11·2 per cent. to the pay bill.