asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the last comprehensive review of police pay and conditions took place in Scotland.

Consideration of police pay and conditions is a matter for the Police Council for the United Kingdom, on which the Scottish police associations, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and my Department are represented. I am required by statute to take the council's recommendations into consideration before I make any regulations which affect the pay of the Scottish police. The last comprehensive review of pay by the Police Council was completed in March this year, and the resulting Police Council agreement, which has my approval, will be implemented with effect from 1st September in terms of regulations which I shall be making shortly.