§ 24. Sir John Biggs-Davisonasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will publish figures showing the information available to him as to the emoluments of legislators in other Commonwealth and European Parliaments, in comparable terms to those of right hon. and hon. Members.
§ The Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. John Biffen)I am arranging for the publication of a table in the Official Report setting out the salaries and principal allowances received by legislators in a number of other Commonwealth and European Parliaments.
| Country | Salary | Allowances |
| UNITED KINGDOM | ||
| House of Commons | Basic salary of £17,702. Maximum salary of £18,655 for those who draw the London allowance of £953 per annum, which is taxable. Whole of salary taxable. | £13,211 'secretarial allowance. £1,321 to meet cost of secretarial pension scheme; £6,606 to employ temporary assistance in event of illness of secretary; all maxima. £7,133 (max) subsistence allowance £200 allowance to help in drafting private Members Bill. £2,202 to assist in clearing up affairs of a deceased, retired or defeated MP (year beginning April 1985). |
| AUSTRALIA | ||
| House of Representatives | A$44,519 (£19,532). All taxable. | Electoral allowance of A$ 15,869 (£6,962) for a constituency of 5,000 sq km or less. Allowance of A$23,010 (£10,095) for a constituency greater than 5,000 sq km. Not taxable. |
| BELGIUM | ||
| Chamber of Representatives | BF 1,872,381 (£27,274), half of which is a tax-free allowance for expenses. BF936,190.5 (£13,637). | Half of salary, BF936.190.5 (£13,637) is a tax-free allowance for expenses. |
| CANADA | ||
| House of Commons | C$56,100 (£26,638). All taxable. | General allowance of between C$18,700 (£8,879) and C$24,700 (£11,728) varying by size and distance of constituency from Ottawa. |
| DENMARK | ||
| Folketing | 204,400 kr (£16,437). All taxable. | General allowance of between 22,000 kr (£1,769) and 64,000 kr (£5,147) according to distance from Copenhagen. Allowance of 91,200 kr (£7,334) for secretarial assistance. |
| FEDERAL GERMAN REPUBLIC | ||
| Bundestag | DM98,688 (£29,350). DM58,980 (£17,540) is tax-free. | |
| FRANCE | ||
| National Assembly | 402,188Fr (£37,526) of which 45 per cent. 180,985Fr (£16,887) is tax-free. | 45 per cent, of salary, 180,985Fr (£16,887) is regarded as tax-free expense allowance. 207,972Fr (£19,405) allowance for office expenditure. 235,728Fr (£21,995) allowance to employ secretarial assistance. |
| GREECE | ||
| Chamber of Deputies | 2,611,660Dr (£12,244) for Athens MPs. 2,730,371Dr (£12,801) for others. Taxable | 108,000Dr (£506) general allowance. |
§ Sir John Biggs-DavisonI thank my right hon. Friend for undertaking to do that. Will not fair-minded people find the comparison impressive, and should it not be more widely known, especially, perhaps, by the press, that this House has resolved to decline the full awards which were recommended by an independent review body?
§ Mr. BiffenMy hon. Friend is quite right. There will be public interest in the table when it is available. I think that the press would probably wish to pass on the point that he mentioned.
§ Mr. Teddy TaylorDoes my right hon. Friend have any plans to reduce the salaries of right hon. and hon. Members and to recommend an increase in the salaries of Members of the European Assembly, following the Government's plan to force through with a guillotine, which appears to be a constitutional outrage, a transfer of work done in this House to the rather absurd and costly European Assembly?
§ Mr. BiffenI am always alert to constructive suggestions and I listened to all that my hon. Friend had to say. I think, however, that his suggestion would be regarded as provocative.
§ Following is the information: 697
| Country | Salary | Allowances' |
| ITALY | ||
| Chamber of Deputies | L86,853,120 (£37,705). Tax is payable on 70 per cent, of the gross salary after deducting social security contributions (18 per cent.). Taxable salary is L58,979,328 (£25,610). | Tax-free allowance of L10,044,000 (£4,360). |
| LUXEMBOURG | ||
| Chamber of Deputies | LF1,380,000(£20,102)half of which LF690.000 (£10,051) is tax-free. | Half of salary, LF690,000 (£10,051) is tax-free and regarded as an allowance for expenses. |
| NETHERLANDS | ||
| Second Chamber | F199.470 (£26,280). All taxable. | General allowance of between F114,813 (£3,913) and F129.624 (£7,827) according to distance of home from The Hague. Travel allowance of F110,090 (£2,666). All taxable. |
| NEW ZEALAND | ||
| Houseof Representatives | NZ$45,000 (£15,694). All taxable. | Expense allowance of NZ$4,000 (£1,395). Constituency allowance of between NZ$6,500 (£2,267) and NZ$14,000 (£4,883). Day allowance of NZ$27 (£9) for every sitting day attended and allowance of NZ$40 (£14) for every night away from home. All allowances tax-free. |
| PORTUGAL | ||
| House of Deputies | l,363,200Es (£5,950). All taxable. | Taxable allowance of 1,380Es (£6) per day of attendance for Deputies living in Lison and 4,140Es (£18l per day of attendance for Deputies living outside Lisbon. Non-taxable allowance of 2,272Es (£10) per day of attendance for Deputies who are members of Parliamentary Committees. |
| REPUBLIC OF IRELAND | ||
| Dail Eirearn | IR£17,978 (£16,152). All taxable. | Subsistence allowance of IR£31 (£28) per night for sittings for MPs living 20 miles or more from Dublin. IR£19 (£17) day allowance for MPs living within 10 miles of Dublin. |
§ Note: The figures in brackets in £s are converted from local currencies at rates of exchange at the close of 25 June.