To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provisions govern the amount of the salary of chief officers of local authorities; and what information he has on the level of pay rises for chief officers for the forthcoming year.

There are no statutory provisions governing the pay of local authority employees. In the case of most authorities, the pay of chief officers is related to a national pay spine determined by the joint negotiating committee (JNC) for chief officers of local authorities, although authorities decide for themselves the point within this context at which their chief officers' pay is set. About two dozen authorities have opted out of these national negotiations and set the pay of their chief officers locally. Salaries within the scope of the JNC were increased by 6·4 per cent. from 1 July 1991.