HL Deb 21 January 2002 vol 630 cc1333-5

3.7 p.m.

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Tordoff)

My Lords, I beg to move that the Third Report from the Select Committee be agreed to.

Moved, That the Third Report from the Select Committee (HL Paper 54) be agreed to.—(The Chairman of Committees.)

Following is the report referred to:

The Committee have met and been attended by the Clerk of the Parliaments and the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod.

1. Membership of Sub-Committees

The Committee appointed Baroness Williams of Crosby to the Finance and Staff Sub-Committee in place of Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank, and Lord Cope of Berkeley to the Administration and Works Sub-Committee in place of Lord Henley.

2. Fielden House

The Committee were gratified to learn of the purchase by the House during the Summer Recess of Fielden House on a 999 year lease. Fielden House is situated opposite 1 The Abbey Garden on the corner of Little College Street and will provide potential accommodation space for the House in the order of 12–13,000 square feet, spread over approximately 50 rooms.

The property was sold by way of a competitive bidding process. The House of Lords' bid, which proved successful, was made after consultation with the Treasury and with professional valuation advice.

The building will need complete refurbishment. The allocation of the additional accommodation is currently under consideration by the Administration and Works Sub-Committee. When decisions have been taken, designs will be drawn up to enable works to begin in the Autumn of 2002 with a view to occupancy in late 2004.

3. Lords' Reimbursement Allowances

The Committee took note of the annual uprating of the following allowances, in line with the retail price index, with effect from 1 August 2001:

Overnight subsistence by £1 per day to £122

Day subsistence by £1 per day to £61

Secretarial costs by £1 per day to £51

Secretarial costs for non-sitting periods by £40 per annum to £2,040.

4. Salaries of the Chairman and Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees

The Committee approved revised salaries for the Chairman of Committees (from £68,283 to £70,283 per annum) and the Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees (from £63,626 to £65,626 per annum), with effect from 20 June 2001, following similar salary increases for Ministers and other paid office holders.

5. Staff of the House

The Committee approved the creation of a new post to provide secretarial support to the Accountant and his Deputy at span C3; the making permanent a temporary C2 post in the Accountants' Office; the re-grading of the post of Assistant to the Internal Auditor from span C2 to B2; the creation of a post of House of Lords Webmaster on 2-year basis at span B2, to provide expertise and management for the House of Lords Intranet. The Committee also agreed to contribute 25 per cent to the cost of a new joint Lords and Commons post of Parliamentary Website Content Manager at span BI, to manage the accuracy, timeliness and consistency of Parliament's Internet website.

Lord Barnett

My Lords, I want to say a brief word, first, to congratulate the noble Lord on this report. I am sure that Members of the House are only too happy, if they are aware of it, to vote him a modest increase in his salary for the work that he does.

The structure of the Offices Committee, as the Chairman of Committees and everyone else will be aware, is somewhat complex, and it takes a long time for its reports to come before your Lordships. A steering group was set up nearly a year ago, and we still have not had an opportunity to debate its work. I understand that a further consideration is now being put in place. When can we expect to see that report and will the House have an opportunity to decide on it, rather than the usual channels, who normally dominate such matters?

The Chairman of Committees

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for confirming my salary. Actually, it is not technically a matter for the House; the House is merely informed of it, I am pleased to say.

Noble Lords will remember that, just before the Summer Recess, I announced that a further working party had been set up to take on the work that had been done by the noble Lord, Lord Grenfell, and others. That group has completed its investigation, and the report is in final draft form. I hope that it will be completed by tomorrow. It will then be sent to the Offices Committee for discussion at a special meeting on 13th February. I intend to put a copy of the report in the Library at that stage.

On the basis of what the Offices Committee decides to do, the matter will, presumably, come before the House as a report from the Offices Committee and will then be debated.

On Question, Motion agreed to.

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