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Earnings

Volume 887: debated on Friday 28 February 1975

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asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing average earnings per head net of direct taxes and national insurance contributions, in 1950, 1960 and 1974 for each of the following groups: senior Cabinet Ministers, holders of offices and appointments covered by the Boyle Top Salary Review, GPs and dentists within the National Health Service, head teachers in local authority schools, and the five groups who headed the manual workers' wages league in 1974; and if he will show in each case the percentage increases between 1950 and 1974.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 14th February

TABLE I
Net annual income after tax and national insurance contributionsIncrease in net income between 1950–51 and 1974–75
1950–511960–611974–75
£££Per cent.
Cabinet Ministers (excluding the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor)2,5463,0877,206183·1
Posts covered by the Top Salaries Review Body.
Higher Civil Service
Head of the Civil Service2,1273,9578,524300·8
Permanent Secretary2,0333,7928,254306·0
Deputy Secretary1,6333,0666,510298·6
Under-Secretary1,4072,5205,640300·7
Armed Forces
Field Marshal2,1533,4498,254283·4
General2,0163,1717,798286·8
Lt.-General1,8452,8626,602257·8
Major-General1,6512,5185,787250·4
Nationalised Industries
Chairman (major boards)3,3584,7039,853193·4
Members (major boards)2,5463,9747,878209·5
Chairman (intermediate boards)2,8214,2849,131223·7
Members (intermediate boards)2,2213,6436,880209·8
Chairman (minor boards)2,3023,6437,902243·3
Members (minor boards)1,8462,6516,454249·7
The Judiciary
Lord Chief Justice3,2714,7038,902172·2
High Court Judges2,5464,1398,159220·5
County Court Judge/Circuit Judges1,4072,8296,060330·6
Metropolitan Magistrates1,4072,5465,458287·8
Masters and Registrars of the Supreme Court1,2032,3375,619367·2
Note:
In most cases the gross salary used for the calculations was the fixed rate for the job on 1st January 1950, 1960 and 1974 respectively. In other cases the gross salary was an average or a general level.
Source: Civil Service Department.

1975; Vol. 886, c. 229], gave the following information:

The information as far as it is available is given in the tables below. As indicated in the footnote to the tables, some of the figures are not on a comparable basis; information required for head teachers in local authority schools cannot be made available without undue expense.

For the purposes of the calculations it has been assumed that the only income tax allowance due is the married person's allowance, that the non-manual workers are contracted out of the graduated pensions scheme and that the manual workers are not contracted out. On this basis the figures are as follows:

TABLE II

Net annual income after tax and national insurance contributions

Increase in net income between 1950–51 and 1974–75

1950–51

1960–61

1974–75

£

£

£

Per cent.

General medical practitioners(1)1,5081,7884,265182·8
General dental practitioners(2)1,3561,8333,890186·8

Notes: The gross salaries used for the calculations were:

(1) (a) The average "intended" income net of practice expenses (w.e.f. 1st April 1950) of all G.M.P.'s from all sources including private earnings and superannuation contributions paid by the Exchequer.
(b) The average "intended" income net of practice expenses (w.e.f. 1st January 1960) of all G.M.P.'s under 70 from official sources only i.e., executive councils, hospitals, local authorities and Government departments.
(c) The average "intended" income, net of practice expenses (w.e.f. 1st April 1974) of all G.M.P.'s from family practitioner committees only.
(2) The "intended" average income-net of practice expenses-recommended by the appropriate review body.

Source: Department of Health and Social Security.

TABLE III

Net annual income after tax and national insurance contributions

Increase in net income between 1950–51 and 1974–75

1950–51

1960–61

1974–75

£

£

£

Per cent.

Manual workers (1)

Coal mining (2)4347182,140392·5
Paper, printing and publishing3837422,034430·7
Vehicle manufacturing4027431,961388·0
Metal manufacturing3967131,930387·8
Bricks, pottery, glass, cement, etc.3616561,886422·1
Ship-building and marine engineering3636501,886419·7

Notes:

(1) Gross income is based on the annual equivalent of earnings given in the October inquiries made by the Department of Employment. The groups included in the 1974 ranking are those for which comparable figures are available for 1950 and 1960. The actual 1974 "ranking" includes manufacture of coal and petroleum products, transport and communication, other than rail and sea, and chemical and allied industries. These groups would rank 2nd, 5th and 7th places respectively for 1974.
(2) Based on estimate supplied by the National Coal Board. These estimates are not fully com parable with the other figures.

Source: Department of Employment and National Coal Board.