Oral Answers to Questions — National Finance – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 21 January 1964.
Sir John Langford-Holt
, Shrewsbury
12:00,
21 January 1964
asked the Chancellor of the exchequer if he will authorise an increase in the salaries of the senior staff of the Public Trustee Office.
Mr John Boyd-Carpenter
, Kingston upon Thames
No, Sir. As my hon. Friend is no doubt aware, the salaries of the Public Trustee and his most senior staff were increased substantially as from 1st August, 1963.
Sir John Langford-Holt
, Shrewsbury
I do not wish to enter into the discussions between the Lord Chancellor and my hon. Friend the Member for Solihull (Sir M. Lindsay); but may I ask whether my right hon. and learned Friend would agree that to get the best results we must pay salaries which are more than a little over half of those paid by large private institutions?
Mr John Boyd-Carpenter
, Kingston upon Thames
As my hon. Friend says, one does not wish to get involved in a matter which is the responsibility of the Lord Chancellor. But the salaries of the senior members of the Public Trustee Office were very substantially increased only a few months ago and I do not think that any further increase is appropriate at present.
Mr Cyril Bence
, Dunbartonshire East
Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman inform the House of the percentage of the increase given?
Mr John Boyd-Carpenter
, Kingston upon Thames
It varies, but it followed the recommendation of the Franks Committee on the Higher Civil Service. Over a period of between four and four-and-a-half years it averaged about 4 per cent. per annum.
The chancellor of the exchequer is the government's chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising government revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling overall government spending.
The chancellor's plans for the economy are delivered to the House of Commons every year in the Budget speech.
The chancellor is the most senior figure at the Treasury, even though the prime minister holds an additional title of 'First Lord of the Treasury'. He normally resides at Number 11 Downing Street.
