HC Deb 20 December 1971 vol 828 cc1129-32

Order for Second Reading read.

Mr. Speaker

I want to ask the opinion of the House. On a somewhat similar occasion in 1964 it was agreed that the Second Reading of the Bill and the Motions should be discussed together. Would that be convenient today, or is there any objection? There is the Money Resolution, and then there are the two following Motions:

PARLIAMENTARY REMUNERATION

That, in the opinion of this House, it is expedient that provision should he made as from 1st January 1972 (in lieu of the provision made by the resolution of this House of 18th December 1964) for the payment to Members of this House of the following salary, that is to say—

  1. (a) in the case of all Members other than those described in sub-paragraph (b) below, a salary at the rate of £4,500 a year;
  2. (b) in the case of Members who are officers of this House and Members for the time being in receipt of a salary as holders of Ministerial office within the meaning of section 2 of the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1957 (as amended by or under any enactment including any enactment passed after the date hereof), or of any other salary or any pension payable under the Ministerial Salaries Consolidation Act 1965 (as so amended), a salary at the rate of £3,000 a year,
subject, in each case, to any enactment for the time being in force relating to contributory pensions for Members of this House, and in particular to any provision for deductions from Members' salaries as contributions to pensions.

PARLIAMENTARY EXPENSES

That, in the opinion of this House, it is expedient that as from 1st January 1972 further provision with respect to allowances, facilities and other payments for Members of this House should be made as follows:—

  1. (1) provision should be made for—
    1. (a) Members of this House who are Members for constituencies specified in the Schedule set out below, and
    2. (b) Members of this House (not being Members for those constituencies) whose salaries as Members are determined in accordance with paragraph (b) of the Resolution passed this day with respect to remuneration of Members, except any such Member who holds (whether as a Minister or otherwise) a paid office in respect of which an official 1130 residence is provided from public funds, to receive a supplementary London allowance at the rate of £175 a year;
  2. (2) provision should be made for Members of this House who are Members for constituencies other than those specified in the Schedule set out below to receive an allowance in respect of additional expenses necessarily incurred by any such Member in staying overnight away from his only or main residence for the purpose of performing his parliamentary duties as follows, that is to say—
    1. (a) where his only or main residence is in the London area (that is to say, the area consisting of the constituencies specified in the Schedule set out below), parliamentary duties performed in his constituency;
    2. (b) where his only or main residence is in his constituency—
      1. (i) parliamentary duties performed in the London area, except in the case of any such Member whose salary as a Member is determined in accordance with paragraph (b) of the Resolution passed this day with respect to remuneration of Members (in this paragraph referred to as 'an excepted Member') and
      2. (ii) parliamentary duties performed in a part of his constituency where a stay overnight is reasonably necessary in view of its distance from his only or main residence;
    3. (c) where his only or main residence is neither in the London area nor in his constituency, and he is an excepted Member, parliamentary duties performed in his constituency;
    4. (d) where his only or main residence is neither in the London area nor in his constituency, and he is not an excepted Member, then (at the option of the Member, to be exercised by notice in writing to the Fees Office) either—
      1. (i) parliamentary duties performed in the London area, or
      2. (ii) parliamentary duties performed in his constituency;
  3. (3) the allowance to be provided in accordance with paragraph (2) of this Resolution should not exceed—
    1. (a) £187.50 for the period from 1st January 1972 to 31st March 1972, or
    2. (b) £750 for the period of twelve months beginning on 1st April 1972 or any subsequent period of twelve months beginning on 1st April;
  4. (4) the limit of £500 on the allowance which, in accordance with the Resolution of this House of 18th December 1969, is payable to Members of this House in respect of expenses incurred for their parliamentary duties on secretarial assistance should be raised to £1,375 for the period of eighteen months from 1st October 1971 to 31st March 1973 and to £1,000 for the period of twelve months beginning on 1st April 1973 or any 1131 subsequent period of twelve months beginning on 1st April;
  5. (5) the expenses in respect of which, in accordance with the Resolution mentioned in paragraph (4) of this Resolution, that allowance is payable to any Member of this House within that limit should (for any such period as is mentioned in that paragraph) include—
    1. (a) general office expenses and,
    2. (b) within a maximum of £375 for the period of eighteen months mentioned in that paragraph and of £300 for any period of twelve months mentioned therein, the expenses of employing a research assistant on work undertaken in the proper performance of the Member's parliamentary duties;
  6. (6) provision should be made for the payment to Members of this House of travelling expenses incurred by them on or after 1st January 1972—
    1. (a) in the performance of their parliamentary duties within their constituencies, or
    2. (b) in travelling between their constituencies and the local or regional offices of Government departments, or the offices of local authorities whose functions relate to their constituencies, where they require to visit those offices for the purpose of the performance of their parliamentary duties within their constituencies, being either expenses incurred in travel by any form of transport for which (in accordance with any Resolution of this House for the time being in force) facilities are available to Members of this House for free travel between London and their constituencies or expenses (calculated at a rate not exceeding 5 pence a mile) incurred in the use of a car;
    3. (7) the number of return journeys for which, in accordance with the Resolution of this House of 7th April 1971, facilities for free travel are available to the spouses of Members of this House should, for the period of twelve months ending with 31st December 1972 or any subsequent period of 12 months ending with 31st December, be ten (in lieu of any number which, in accordance with that Resolution, would be applicable to journeys made in any such period);
    4. (8) the salary which, in accordance with any Resolution of this House for the time being in force, is payable to any Member of this House in the present or any future Parliament should continue to be payable to him after the dissolution of that Parliament and until the end of the day of the poll in a general election consequent upon that dissolution;
    5. (9) provision should be made for enabling any person who, immediately before the dissolution of the present or any future Parliament, is a Member of this House and who—
      1. (a) stands for election to this House (whether for the same or a different constituency) at a general election consequent 1132 upon that dissolution and is not elected, or
      2. (b) does not stand for such election in circumstances where the constituency, for which he was a Member of this House immediately before that dissolution, has ceased to exist,
    6. to receive a grant equal to three months' salary as a Member of this House at the rate which, immediately before that dissolution, is applicable to Members of this House other than such Members as are described in paragraph (b) of the Resolution passed this day with respect to remuneration of Members;
    7. (10) a claim by a Member of this House for expenses, or for any allowance in respect of expenses, under this Resolution or any other Resolution of this House, whether passed before or after this Resolution, should (in substitution for any period applicable under any previous Resolution of this House) be submitted within a period of six months after the expenses to which it relates have been incurred, unless extenuating circumstances can be shown.

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