asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is aware that about 800 chief executives and 2,500 chief officers of local authorities are to receive a 12·5 per cent. increase in their salaries, as against the 9.94 per cent. granted to the 500,000 lower-paid council workers; and whether these payments, with the additional payments of between £100 per annum to £312 per annum, are within the Government's incomes policy.

The recent settlements for local authority chief executives and chief officers in England and Wales are regarded by the Government as representing increases in excess of the stage 3 guidelines and we have accordingly asked the employers to renegotiate them.