asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the maximum salary point for physiotherapists working in National Health Service hospitals in each of the years 1974 to 1982, respectively; and by what percentage this has increased or decreased in constant 1974 prices over this period.
The largest single group of qualified physiotherapists working in NHS hospitals are at the basic grade, and the table below sets out the maximum salary point for the grade for each year from 1974 to 1981, and the percentage changes each year in constant prices. Salary scales from April 1982 have yet to be agreed. 1974 was of course a high-point year for nurses and physiotherapists salaries and a truer reflection would appear if, say, 1977 was chosen as the base.
| Year | Maximum of salary scale (£) | Expressed at constant prices with 1974=100 | Change from previous year |
| 1974 | 2,328 | 100 | — |
| 1975 | 2,811 | 100·6 | +0·6 |
| 1976 | 3,123 | 94 | -6·6 |
| 1977 | 3,425 | 81·3 | -12·7 |
| 1978 | 3,588 | 85·2 | + 3·9 |
| 1979 | 3,918 | 84·5 | - 0·7 |
| 1980 | 5,103 | 90·4 | + 5·9 |
| 1981 | 5,409 | 85·6 | - 4·8 |