HC Deb 05 July 2001 vol 371 cc421-77

[Relevant documents: Review Body on Senior Salaries, Report No. 47, Review of Parliamentary Pension Scheme, Cm 4996; Review Body on Senior Salaries, Report No. 48, Review of Parliamentary Pay and Allowances, Cm 4997–I; Review Body on Senior Salaries, Report No. 48, Review of Parliamentary Pay and Allowances—Volume 2: Independent study on pay and allowances, Cm 4997–II; The Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) (Pension Sharing) Regulations 2001; The Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2001; The Draft Ministerial and other Salaries Order 2001; Second Report from the Information Committee, Session 1999–2000, on Information Technology Provision for Members, HC 758.]

1.31 pm
The President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Robin Cook)

I beg to move, That, in the opinion of this House—

  1. (1) Provision should be made, with effect from 5th July 2001, to implement Chapter 3 of the report of the Review Body on Senior Salaries on parliamentary pay and allowances (Cm 4997–1) a copy of which was laid before this House on 16th March, to establish a General Services Budget under the Members' Vote, and with regard to related matters;
  2. (2) These provisions should be applied as follows (subject to transitional arrangements under (5) and (6) below, and any directions which may from time to time be given by Mr. Speaker with regard to their application):
    1. (a) the salaries of staff employed by Members to help them in their duties as Members of Parliament, and pensions contributions equivalent to ten per cent. of each employee's salary, should be paid centrally by the Department of Finance and Administration;
    2. (b) all such staff who become employed by a Member should be employed on pay rates to be linked to job descriptions and standard contracts prepared by the Department of Finance and Administration;
    3. (c) the total costs of employing such staff, attributable to a particular Member, excluding the pension contribution outlined in (a) above should be limited to £60,000 a year (£70,000 a year where a Member represents a London constituency) these figures to be uprated annually to reflect changes in pay levels for equivalent jobs outside the House.
    4. (d) a new provision called an Incidental Expenses Provision should be established (at a rate of £14,000 per year for each Member, and (prated annually in line with the Retail Prices Index), to meet any other expenditure which Members may incur wholly necessarily and exclusively in discharging their duties as Members.
    5. (e) specific financial provisions should be made for the supply and maintenance of a standard package of information technology equipment and services for each Member to be used exclusively in discharging their duties as Members; and
    6. (f) the Office Costs Allowance should be abolished after a transitional period ending on 31st March 2003.

    cc421-2
  1. General Services Budget 121 words
    2. c422
  2. Advisory Panel 117 words
    3. c422
  3. Transitional Provisions 165 words
    4. c422
  4. Winding Up Allowance 74 words
    5. cc422-3
  5. Members with Disabilities 71 words
    6. c423
  6. Member's Pay (Expression of Opinion) 101 words
    7. c423
  7. Parliamentary Pensions 101 words
    8. c423
  8. Members' Insurance: Reimbursement of Costs Incurred by the Right Honourable Member for Blackburn 55 words
    9. cc423-66
  9. Members' Pay (Money Resolution) 23,575 words, 1 division
    10. cc466-71
  10. MEMBERS' PAY (EXPRESSION OF OPINION) 2,750 words, 2 divisions
    11. cc471-6
  11. PARLIAMENTARY PENSIONS 2,877 words, 2 divisions
    12. c477
  12. MEMBERS' INSURANCE: REIMBURSEMENT OF COSTS INCURRED BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE MEMBER FOR BLACKBURN 58 words
    13. c477
  13. MEMBERS' PAY (MONEY RESOLUTION) 103 words