HL Deb 27 July 1967 vol 285 cc1116-8

Order of the Day read for the consideration of the Fourth Report from the Select Committee.

The Committee's Report was as follows:

1.—PRINTED PAPERS

The Committee considered Peers entitlement to these publications and existing practice in regard to distribution and circulation.

They recommend that the attention of the House should be drawn to the following statement of rules and practice.

  1. (i) PAPERS. In principle Peers are entitled to draw from the Printed Paper Office, free of charge, such parliamentary papers and other publications as they clearly require in order to discharge their parliamentary duties.
  2. (ii) This means, in practice, the working papers of the House (Minutes, Bills, amendments, marshalled lists of amendments, Hansard, etc.), papers published by Command, papers laid pursuant to Act or Measure, and returns to an order of either House. The more expensive non-parliamentary publications, such as Official Histories, are not supplied free without the specific authority of the Clerk of the Parliaments.
  3. (iii) Peers are entitled to one copy of any Command Paper, Act Paper, or Paper printed pursuant to an order of either House; and further copies, if they can show that they require them for the discharge of their parliamentary duties.
  4. (iv) Peers are entitled to one copy of both the Lords and the Commons Daily Hansard; if they have spoken in a Debate, they are entitled to draw up to six copies of the Lords Hansard concerned.
  5. (v) If Peers require further copies of non, parliamentary papers, Command Papers, Act Papers or Hansards, Bills and amendments, they may order these from the Printed Paper Office and such papers will then he dispatched to them, together with an invoice, by Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
  6. (vi) POSTAGE. While no charge is made to Peers for the postage of papers sent to them from the Printed Paper Office, Peers do not enjoy the right to have posted to third parties from the Printed Paper Office copies of papers to which they are entitled. The official frank in the Printed Paper Office is reserved for official correspondence and for forwarding papers to Peers themselves. It is not available to Peers for their own correspondence.

2.—PARLIAMENT OFFICE AND LIBRARY

The Clerk of the Parliaments informed the Committee of the appointment of Mr. J. A. Vallance White as a Senior Clerk in the Parliament Office from 1st April, 1967.

The Committee were also informed of a review of certain posts in the Parliament Office and Library and authorised:—

  1. (a) an allowance, and subsequent regrading for the Assistant Librarian;
  2. (b) the regrading of one Clerical Officer post to Executive Officer in the Accountant's office;
  3. (c) the payment of a secretarial allowance to Mrs. N. Willbourne, the Personal Assistant to the Law Lords, personally, with effect from the 1st July, 1967;
  4. (d) the retention of the allowance to the Head Office Assistant; and
  5. (e) the retention of two posts of Record Office Assistant in lieu of two posts of Paperkeeper.

3.—REVISED SCALES OF PAY AND SPECIAL PAYMENTS

The Committee sanctioned the application of D.E.O. (67) (Pay) No. 18 dated 23rd June, 1967—Messengers, Paperkeepers, etc. Classes revised scales of pay to analogous grades of the staff of the House of Lords.

The Committee also authorised the application of E.C. No. 1/66 introducing new grades of Personal Secretaries and Senior Personal Secretaries, Scales of Pay, Conditions of Service, etc. to applicable staff of the House of Lords.

The Committee sanctioned special payments to the Hansard Editors and Reporters and to the Doorkeepers in respect of additional duty performed during the period to the end of the present Session.

4.—SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATE

The Committee approved the presentation of a Supplementary Estimate for the year 1967–68 to meet the expenses of Peers travelling abroad as members of a Parliamentary delegation.

5.—DEPARTMENT OF LORD GREAT CHAMBERLAIN AND SERJEANT-AT-ARMS

The Committee were informed of the temporary employment of an additional Personal Assistant for one week and authorised the appropriate rate of pay.

6.—RETIREMENTS

The Committee sanctioned the payment of the following Superannuation awards under the Superannuation Act, 1965:—

  1. (a) Pension and Additional Allowance to Mr. Edward Henry Stephen Divers, Head Office Assistant who retires on the 2nd November, 1967.
  2. (b) Pension and Additional Allowance to Mr. Horace Anderson Martins, Senior Office Assistant, who retires on the 13th November, 1967.
  3. (c) Gratuity to Mrs. Dorothy Emily Sadd, Housemaid, who retired on the 27th May, 1967.

THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF LISTOWEL)

My Lords, I beg to move that the Report be now considered.

Moved accordingly, and, on Question, Motion agreed to.

THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES

My Lords, I beg to move that the Report be agreed to.

Moved, That the Report be agreed to.—(The Earl of Listowel.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.