I move:
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £2,608,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1972, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and of certain other services administered by that Office, and for payment of a grant-in-aid.
This Supplementary Estimate is necessary to provide for the cost of various increases in pay and allowances granted during the course of the current financial year for which provision was not made in the Department's original Estimate or in the first Supplementary Estimate taken in November last. A provision of £2,988,000 is being made under subhead A for the total cost of these increases. Of this amount £380,000 is due to be recouped from telephone capital funds as appropriations-in-aid, so that the net extra amount required for pay purposes is £2,608,000.
The increases provided for in the Supplementary Estimate are grade pay increases, the first phase of the 13th round national agreement, and increases in various allowances. All the increases resulted from acceptance of agreements at conciliation level or of arbitration awards under the scheme of conciliation and arbitration for the Civil Service, following the processing of staff claims in conformity with the provisions of the national pay agreement.
The Supplementary Estimate provides also for a sum of £150,000 under subhead F for additional expenditure on the purchase of engineering stores and equipment. That sum is, however, fully offset by increased appropriations-in-aid from other sources.
The net sum provided for in the Supplementary Estimate is, therefore, £2,608,000, all of which is needed to meet the cost of pay increases granted during the year.