asked the Minister for the Public Service whether the public service pay bill for 1985 will correspond with the allocations set out in the Government's economic plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
49.
Written Answers. - Public Service Pay Bill.
36.
asked the Minister for the Public Service what the 1985 outturn figure will be to cover pay and pensions in the public service; and the Exchequer provision for 1986.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 49 together.
The national plan provided £2,400 million for the Exchequer pay and pensions bill in 1985. Following the announcement in the 1985 budget that the Government were prepared to make provision for a 24th pay round settlement based on the arbitrator's finding for certain Civil Service grades and subsequent expenditure adjustments, the figure for pay and pensions in the revised volume of Estimates for the public service was set at £2,464 million. It is hoped that the outturn will be of this order.
It will not be possible to indicate the Exchequer provision for 1986, until such time as the Government has completed its examination of departmental expenditure proposals and published the volume of Estimates for the Public Services for 1986.