HC Deb 04 November 1947 vol 443 cc1529-31
51. Sir W. Smithers

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give a list of the emoluments that each Minister and junior Minister receives, in the shape of free lodging, motorcar service and the like, in addition to his Ministerial salary; and the cost of these extra items to the taxpayer.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Dalton)

As the answer contains a number of figures I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Sir W. Smithers

Is the Minister aware that I thought he would wriggle out by giving an answer like that? In view of the fact that Ministers are asking the whole country to make sacrifices, would it not be a good example to set to stop feathering their own nests?

Mr. Speaker

I think a general charge that Ministers are feathering their own nests is hardly in accordance with Parliamentary practice.

Sir W. Smithers

I withdraw, but I ask, is this policy of perquisites a policy of soaking the rich?

Mr. Dalton

The hon. Member, not for the first time, is seeking to make a party point out of these matters. Therefore, I take this opportunity of telling him that all the matters in which he is showing interest are matters in which we have continued the practice of our predecessors, as he will learn if he takes the trouble to read the very instructive report which I am circulating.

Following is the statement:

As the hon. Member was informed on 25th March last, five Ministers are provided with rent-free residential accommodation—namely, the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Lord Chancellor (as Speaker of the House of Lords) and the First Lord of the Admiralty. In the case of the Foreign Secretary, the practice was introduced in 1946, though his predecessor had occupied a rent-free flat in the Foreign Office. In the other cases the arrangement is of long standing, dating back to the eighteenth, or to the early nineteenth century. In all five cases the accommodation at present consists of a flat or suite of rooms in a building, the rest of which is used for official and other State purposes, and the cost to the taxpayer can, therefore, be only approximately assessed by way of apportionments. On this basis, the annual cost to the taxpayer is at present about £1,100 in respect of contribution in lieu of rates on these five residences and about £5,000 in respect of maintenance, heating and lighting and garage accommodation. The building which contains the Foreign Secretary's flat is held on lease from the Commissioners of Crown Lands (the proportion of the rent attributable to the residential portion being about £1,000): in the other cases the accommodation is in Crown buildings and no rent is payable from public funds.

The above figures do not include Chequers, which is the property of Trustees. The bulk of the annual expenditure is met from the income of the Trust, as constituted under the Chequers Estate Act, 1917: but for the last 20 years certain charges in respect of maintenance and repairs have been borne on the Votes of the Ministry of Works. These at present amount, excluding non-recurrent expenditure, to about £1,850 per annum.

No other Ministers receive any other emoluments in addition to their salaries. The provision of official cars to enable Ministers to discharge their duties is an essential part of normal administrative expenditure and it not an emolument of Ministers. Since this arrangement was introduced in 1939, official cars and drivers have been available to senior Ministers. The annual cost is about £1,000 a head. No cars are allocated to junior Ministers, who, however, are entitled to draw on a car pool for official purposes. The cost of such facilities is about 1s. 4d. a mile.