HL Deb 22 February 1979 vol 398 cc2081-2WA
Lord O'HAGAN

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will publish a table showing the salaries and allowances of

  1. (a) members of the proposed Assemblies in Scotland and Wales;
  2. (b) the five senior grades in the British Permanent Representation in Brussels;
  3. (c) the British members of the European Parliament when elected;
  4. (d) typists in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

The answers to my noble friend's questions are as follows:

  1. (a) Salaries and allowances of members of the proposed Assemblies for Scotland and Wales are for determination in the first instance by the respective Secretaries of State and, thereafter, by the respective Assemblies.
  2. (b) The annual salaries and allowances currently being paid to the five senior grades in the United Kingdom Permanent Representation in Brussels are as follows:

Salary Allowances(Excluding Entertainment) Entertainment Allowance(maxima)
United Kingdom Permanent Representative £20,772 £13,581 £12,536
Deputy Permanent Representative £15,629 £16,442 £7,008
Minister (Agriculture) £13,953 £10,795 £4,465
Counsellors £10,567 to £12,797 £4,887 to £9,858 £1,548 to £3,355 according to function
First Secretaries £7,315 to £9,253 £4,099 to £9,120 £1,342

Officers may also qualify for education allowances for their children in certain circumstances.

(c) It has been agreed that salaries of members of the European Assembly should be paid by Governments at rates determined nationally. The Government are considering the implementation in the United Kingdom of this agreement and what legislation will be necessary. It will be for the directly-elected Assembly to determine their own allowances. The following allowances, in European Units of Account (EUA), are paid to the present members (approximate sterling equivalents are given in brackets):

80 EUA £53.76) per day of attendance at Strasbourg, Luxembourg or elsewhere in the Community.

53 EUA (£35.62) per day of attendance outside the Community. Travel allowance:

0.34 EUA (£0.29) per km for first 400 kilometres.

0.13 EUA (£0.09) per km thereafter.

Secretarial allowance:

140 EUA (£94.08) per month unaccountable plus up to a further 560 EUA (£376.32) per month on presentation of a contract.

(d) Salaries of secretarial staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office range from £2,685 per annum for copy typists to £4,569 per annum for senior personal secretaries. Secretarial staff may also qualify for proficiency payments.