Hansard

Written Answers

Volume 443: debated on Thursday 14 July 1983

Download text
Back to top
The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.

Written Answers

Falkland Islands Inquiry

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Falklands Islands Report by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee will be published.

Lord Denham

The Second Special Report from the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Session 1982–83 (H.C. 378), stated that the committee had found it impossible to complete their Falkland Islands Inquiry before the dissolution of Parliament. The greater part of the chairman's draft report was, however, published on Tuesday, 12th July, as part of the Minutes of Proceedingsof the Committee for Session 1982–83 (H.C. 380).

Mr Albrecht And Mr Buisson: Legal Proceedings In Turkey

Lord Jenkins of Putney

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they have taken to secure the repatriation of two British subjects recently arrested in Turkey and charged with photographing in a military zone, having regard to the fact that the two men were photographing birds with the knowledge of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and maps they were using had been cleared by the Turkish authorities; and whether they are aware that the offence with which the two men have been charged carries the death penalty in Turkey.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(Baroness Young)

From first being notified of the arrest of Mr. Albrecht and Mr. Buisson both the Embassy in Ankara and the Consulate-General in Istanbul have done everything possible to expedite the legal proceedings and in the meantime to ensure the comfort of the two men. However, Her Majesty's Government cannot intervene in the legal proceedings of another sovereign state. The Consulate-General recently asked the investigating judge whether Mr. Albrecht's and Mr. Buisson's passports might be returned to them. They are already on bail.The Consulate-General earlier ensured that the information provided by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was presented to the judge. There have been three court hearings in the case and a fourth is set for 20th July. The charges against Mr. Albrecht and Mr. Buisson are travelling in a military zone and taking photographs and birdwatching in a military zone. These charges do not carry the death penalty. The military authorities have confirmed to the court that they have checked and cleared the maps Mr. Albrecht and Mr. Buisson were carrying.

The Civil Service Multi-Departmental Review

Lord Cullen of Ashbourne

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made with the multi-departmental Review of Personnel Work in the Civil Service referred to in the White Paper

Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Civil Service, Cmnd. 8616, and whether they will make a statement.

The Minister of State, Privy Council Office, and Minister for the Arts
(The Earl of Gowrie)

The review has been completed and is being published today. Copies are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses as are the reports of the departmental teams who took part in the review. The Government welcomes the report, which points the way towards better and more cost-effective personnel work in government departments particularly by clarifying responsibilities for the management of staff and increasing delegation to line managers.We are also placing in the Libraries of both Houses a summary of the conclusions of a separate internal review of Civil Service Management Development in the 1980s. These reports, as well as other related work in the personnel field, raise a number of important issues for follow-up action. In order to use available resources to the best effect, the Government have decided to concentrate on the following personnel priorities in the coming year:

  • 1. Career Management.We will examine ways to extend existing succession planning arrangements for senior posts, and to improve career management for those likely to get to the top. This will involve more positive career planning, with less frequent job changes/postings and better integrated training policies. We will introduce a new course for those promoted to the Open Structure, to equip them for their role as top managers. Our more general training effort, especially for those concerned with financial management, will be reinforced.
  • 2. Staff Appraisal and Reporting.We will tighten up reporting standards and make the basis of staff assessment more performance orientated through changes both in procedures and in the forms used for reporting and appraisal.
  • 3. Performance Related Pay.We shall be considering ways of introducing performance related pay into the Civil Service in the light of the report of the Inquiry into Civil Service Pay.
  • 4. Inefficiency and Poor Performance.We intend to improve the effectiveness of procedures to deal with inefficiency and poor performance, including a review of our early retirement procedures.
  • 5. Unified Grading.We are pressing ahead with a scheme for unified grading for Civil Service grades down to assistant secretary and senior principal levels.

    • The Civil Service trade unions will be consulted on the implementation of these proposals.

    Metropolitan Police C Department: Computer Facilities

    Lord Avebury

    asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will give details of the data bases, other than those concerning matters of national security, which are available for use by the units of the Metropolitan Police C Department, including, in each case, the number of records, the number of accesses in the last complete month, the distribution and number of terminals from which there is access, and whether free text retrieval techniques can be used.

    The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office
    (Lord Elton)

    I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the computer facilities dedicated to C Department provide separate data bases which support the Fraud Squad; the Central Drugs Intelligence Unit; the Special Branch; the Special Intelligence Section, which has responsibility for collating intelligence relating to organised international crime; the South East Regional Intelligence Unit; and all four of the area analytical and targeting units set up to deal with burglary and street crime. All the data bases have free text retrieval facilities.At 30th June 1983 the total number of records(

    1 ) held on C Department's computer facilities, excluding those relating to national security, was 152,186(2 ). The total number of searches(3 ) conducted during June 1983, excluding those relating to national security, was 49,324(4 ). A more detailed analysis of this data and information about the number and distribution of terminals would indicate the scale of effort devoted to the various units and their location. This information could be used to counter police operations and it would not he right to disclose it.

    Notes:

    (1 )Each record is uniquely numbered and consists of information relating to a particular subject such as a person, crime or police operation.

    (2 ) The total includes 560 fictitious records for training purposes.

    (3 ) Each person is counted separately; more than one search may often be needed to locate a particular piece of text.

    (4 ) The total includes about 2,000 searches made for training purposes.

    Parliamentary Voting: Lords Spiritual

    Lord Airedale

    asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, since it is Peers of Parliament who are incapable under common law of voting at parliamentary elections. and since the Lords Spiritual are not Peers of Parliament, they accept that no such incapacity applies to Lords Spiritual.

    Top Salaries Review Body: Report No 20

    Lord Boyd-Carpenter

    asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make a statement about Report No. 20 from the Top Salaries Review Body.

    The Lord President of the Council
    (Viscount Whitelaw)

    Yes. The Government have now considered Report No. 20 from the Top Salaries Review Body (Cmnd. 8881) on Parliamentary Pay and Allowances. I set out their conclusions below.

    Members' and Ministers' Pay

    2. The review body recommended that Members' pay should be fixed at 19,000 per annum, an increase of about 31 per cent., and that the pay of Ministers and other office holders should be increased by amounts averaging 34.8 per cent. and varying for different offices between 18 and 71 per cent.

    3. The Government consider that these recommendations are too high. They propose that from 13th June 1983 the salary of a Back-Bench Member of Parliament should be fixed at £15,090, an increase of 4 per cent. on the previous salary. This figure will be reviewed in a year's time, in accordance with the Government's reply to the Select Committee on Members' Salaries which reported in February 1982.

    4. For Ministers and other office holders the Government also propose that existing salaries should be increased by an overall average of 4 per cent. with effect from the date of approval of the necessary order. Below is a list of existing salaries, the salaries proposed by the review body, and the salaries which are now proposed to be paid.

    TRSB Recommendations

    Office

    No. of office Holders

    Current Salary(2)

    Salary(3)

    Increase

    Proposed Salary(4)

    %
    Prime Minister146,66065,00039·348,520
    Lord Chancellor152,50062,00018·154,600
    Mr. Speaker138,78555,00041·840,330
    Cabinet Minister (Commons)1737,41055,00047·038,900
    Cabinet Minister (Lords)228,95049,50071·030,100
    Minister of State (Commons)2229,03538,00030·930,190
    Minister of State (Lords)624,20032,50034·325,170
    Parliamentary Secretary (Commons)2524,16031,00028·325,130
    Parliamentary Secretary (Lords)419,35025,50031·820,130
    Attorney-General139,16055,00040·440,720
    Solicitor-General133,81044,00030·135,160
    Lord Advocate (Lords)129,00038,50032·830,160
    Solicitor-General for Scotland130,21038,50025·831,410

    House of Commons

    Leader of the Opposition135,03550,00042·736,430
    Chief Whip132,61042,00028·833,190
    Deputy Chief Whip129,03538,00030·930,190
    Opposition Chief Whip129,03538,00030·930,190
    Government Whip1221,73528,00028·822,610
    Assistant Opposition Whip221,73528,00028·822,610
    Chairman, Ways and Means129,03538,00030·930,190
    Deputy Chairman, Ways and Means126,58534,50029·827,640

    House of Lords

    Chief Whip124,20032,50034·325,170
    Deputy Chief Whip119,35025,50031·820,130
    Government Whip516,92522,50032·917,610
    Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords119,35025,50031·820,130
    Opposition Chief Whip116,92522,50032·917,610
    Chairman of Committees124,20032,50034·325,170
    Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees121,75029,00033·322,620
    TOTAL SALARY BILL3,125,3904,212,50034·8(5)3,250,340(6)

    Notes:

    (1) These are the salaries to which office holders are entitled; certain individuals draw less.
    (2) Includes parliamentary salary of £8,460 where appropriate.
    (3) Includes parliamentary salary of £11,000 where appropriate.
    (4) Current salary increased by 4 per cent. (rounded) and including parliamentary salary of £8,800 where appropriate.
    (5) Weighted by number of office holders.
    (6) Represents 4 per cent. increase in total salary bill.

    Secretarial, Research and Office Expenses and Other Allowances and Facilities for Members of Parliament

    7. The Government propose the following in line with recommendations (xiv)—(xxiii) of the review body's report:—

  • (a) The appropriate maximum for the allowance available to MPs for secretarial and research assistance should be £13,000 per annum. Eligibility for the allowance should be subject to the condition that all payments to MPs' staff against the allowance should be made by the Fees Office on behalf of the MP direct to the staff concerned or to any organisation providing secretarial assistance to the Member. Claims against the allowance should be confined strictly to expenditure on salary or fees and any employers' national insurance contributions.
  • (b) A separate allowance should be introduced to meet general office expenses, including necessary capital expenditure on equipment. The appropriate maximum for the allowance is £1,000 per annum. Reimbursement of the costs of purchasing equipment should be subject to production of evidence of expenditure.
  • (c) There should be provision for free travel for MPs' staff between Westminster and the constituency on parliamentary business. Up to nine return journeys a year should be allowed for staff in respect of each MP.
  • (d) The Fees Office should act as point of advice to MPs and their staff on questions of employment.
  • (e) MPs' staff who are paid through the Fees Office should be able in their own right to claim the contribution from public funds that is available for pension purposes. This should be paid direct to the appropriate life office by the Fees Office. The detailed arrangements should be settled by the House authorities.
  • (f) In the event of a MP's employee who is paid through the Fees Office from the secretarial and research allowance qualifying for a redundancy payment under the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act, the payment should be made direct to the employee by the Fees Office from public funds.
  • (g) There should be discretion to reimburse additional costs necessarily incurred by disabled MPs in attending the House.

    • Pensions and Allowances

    5. On pensions and allowances the Government broadly accept the Review Body's recommendations as set out below.

    Pension and Severance Pay

    6. The Government propose the following in line with recommendations (v)—(xii) of the review body's report:—

  • (a) The pension accrual rate for MPs should be set at 1/50th of pensionable salary as at present defined for each year of pensionable service.
  • (b) MPs should be able to take an immediate pension on leaving the House at age 50 and over but before normal retirement age, subject to full actuarial reduction; but MPs retiring at a Dissolution who have reached age 62 and have completed 25 years' service should continue to be able to take full accrued pension.
  • (c) The qualifying period under the Parliamentary Pension Scheme should be abolished. MPs who complete less than the present qualifying period of service should be able to opt, as at present, for a refund of contribution or payment of a transfer value.
  • (d) MPs should be able to commute pension up to the maximum level permitted under the Inland Revenue rules, on the basis of commutation factors advised by the Government Actuary.
  • (e) Subject to implementation of the recommendations made for improvements to the Parliamentary Pension Scheme, the pension contribution should be increased to 8 per cent.
  • (f) The changes recommended in the Parliamentary Pension Scheme should apply also to the supplementary scheme for Ministers and other paid office holders; and, subject to their implementation, the pension contribution for those participating in the supplementary scheme should be increased to 8 per cent.
  • (g) In future, a resettlement grant should be available to all MPs who leave the House at a general election, with the exception of those who have reached normal retirement age (65). The Government propose that the resettlement grant should be made available to all Members who left the House at the last general election.
  • (h) The level of resettlement grant should be determined in accordance with the existing scale of payment. No period of service should be allowed to count on more than one occasion for the calculation of a resettlement grant.
  • (i) MPs should provide a more detailed account of expenses claimed against the additional costs allowance and where appropriate other allowances, in a form suitable to the House authorities.
  • (j) The limit of 15 free journeys for travel by MPs' wives or husbands should remain. In addition, there should be provision for 15 free journeys for each dependent child under the age of 18.
  • (k) In calculating the MPs' additional costs allowance, account should be taken of any change in the number of weeks in which the House sits in a year.

    • Peers' Expenses

    8. The Government propose the following in line with recommendations (xxv)—(xxxi) of the review body's Report:—

  • (a) The Leave of Absence and Lords' Expenses Committee should have discretion to authorise reimbursement of additional costs necessarily incurred by disabled Peers in attending the House.
  • (b) Peers should be reimbursed on the same basis as MPs for travel within the United Kingdom on parliamentary business other than that covered by the present provisions for travel by Peers.
  • (c) The following levels are appropriate for the Peers' expenses allowances:—
  • (i) Overnight subsistence—£40·00
  • (ii) Day subsistence and incidental travel-£16·00
  • (iii) Secretarial, postage and certain additional expenses—£17·00.
  • (d) All Ministers and paid office holders in the House of Lords who cease to hold office, for whatever reason, after serving for not less than 2 years and before they have reached normal retirement age (65) should be eligible to receive a payment equivalent to 3 months' salary.
  • (e) The wives, husbands and children of Ministers and other paid office holders in the House of Lords who have their main home outside London should be able to travel between that home and Westminster at public expense, to the same extent and on the same basis as the wives, husbands and children of MPs.
  • (f) The appropriate level of the secretarial allowance for Ministers and other paid office holders in the House of Lords is £2,000.
  • (g) The title "Peers' Expenses Allowance" should be replaced by "Peers' Reimbursement Allowance".

    • Costs

    9. The cost of implementing these proposals is estimated at about £5 million in 1983–84 and £6–£6·5 million in a full year. These costs will be contained within the provision for total public expenditure in the latest Public Expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 8789). In the case of MPs' pay and allowances, and Peers' allowances, supplementary provision will be needed for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords Votes, neither of which is cash limited. This will be charged to the Contingency Reserve.

    Parliamentary approval

    10. The proposals on pay, pensions and allowances are subject to parliamentary approval. The Government are making early arrangements for the necessary debates. Certain of the recommendations that have been accepted, concerning pension and payments to Ministers and paid office holders in the House of Lords who cease to hold office, are subject to the necessary legislation being obtained.

    Offences: Changes Since 1979

    Lord Monson

    asked Her Majesty's Government:How many offences for which individuals can be (

    a) fined, or ( b) fined or sent to prison, have been created since 3rd May 1979; and how many have been deleted from the statute book.

    Lord Elton

    The only information readily available is contained in a record of new or amended penalties in public general Acts which is maintained by the Home Office and updated at the end of each year. This indicates that 225 offences for which convicted defendants can be fined, and 66 for which they can be fined or imprisoned, were created between 3rd May 1979 and the end of 1982. These include those offences which replaced ones deleted from the statute book; but no list of these, or of repeals generally, is maintained.