Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether since 1994 any allowances have been paid to staff in the Northern Ireland Office in respect of (a) rent, (b) the environment, (c) any danger they may encounter, (d) London weighting, (e) travel, and (f) any attraction to working in Northern Ireland; if so, how much; to whom; whether any such allowances have been reviewed; and, if so, with what outcome. [HL797]
(a) Accommodation is provided for staff working away from their home location, but no allowances are paid direct to staff for rental payments.
(b) and (c) Northern Ireland Office (NIO) staff working in Northern Ireland receive an environmental allowance (referred to as “special allowance” (Official Report, 18 December 2008, col. WA 72) which was revised in 1992 and is now under review. This is not regarded as danger money.
(d) London weighting is paid to NIO Home Civil Servants who work in London or have a commitment to maintain a home in GB while working in NI. NICS staff who work in London were previously entitled to the payment of London weighting but this was removed following a review, from 1 January 2008.
(e) Staff claim subsistence and incidental expenses such as car parking and mileage which are travel related.
(f) No allowances are paid to attract staff to work in Northern Ireland.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average number of days taken off on sick leave by staff in the Northern Ireland Office administrative section in 2008. [HL1018]
In 2007-08 financial year, non-uniform grades in the Northern Ireland Office lost an average of 9.9 days due to sickness absence.