That was way back then, can't see it having changed, certainly in principle. If they want to attract high quality graduates to join up, they have to renumerate them accordingly otherwise they'll all go to the private sector
Duncs, you are correct with regard to my original post back at the start of this thread, my use of the phrase 'high quality' was related to personal qualities of the individual rather than their degree or other qualifications. I have met some people with frighteningly high intelligence, but that I wouldn't trust with anything more complicated than the spoon out of my field kit, whilst I have met others, who on paper probably wouldn't get a second look but who have common sense, good humour, personability and leadership oozing from their pores. Military or merchant bank, I know who I would rather work with.
On the other hand, with regard to my later post, I do still regard a high quality degree as being one of the more rigorous/academic/traditional subjects from the original universities or the technical courses from the older polytechnics (as they were). Whilst there is no real way of differentiating between degrees for RAF purposes - and nor should there be apart from where they are required for the job eg MO, lawyer etc - I still cannot help but think that a "degree" in Media and Klingon studies with its 2 GCSEs at grade G entry requirements doesn't really help anybody and is more to do with targets and statistics than producing rigorous academic qualifications which enable people to think critically and evaluate.
But it is a fact of life that faced with competition from industry with their golden helos and the city with bonuses that pay more than my military salary for the year, the Armed Forces has to do something to make it attractive to those that have now invested in their futures by forking out the time and money to work through a degree. Whether the PC brigade like it or not, those increasingly becoming the leaders of the future and if we want them on the Air Force Board rather than the Board at UBS or Barclays, we have to do something to catch their interest now - hence graduates at IOT are paid more during training.