HC Deb 30 March 1983 vol 40 cc166-9W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will publish in the Official Report a comprehensive list showing the comparisons in all respects with regard to salaries, expenses, secretarial and travel allowances and pensions between British Members of Parliament and British Members of the European assembly which were in effect on 17 January 1983.

Mr. Biffen

[pursuant to his reply, 24 February 1983, c. 503]: The following table gives the information requested.

MPs MEPs
Salary £14,510 pa with effect from 13 June 1982. £14,510 pa with effect from 13 June 1982.
Notes: Notes:
1. Abated for Ministers. 1. Dual mandate members receive one-third (ie £4,837) in addition to full MP's salary.
2. London supplement of £852 pa for Members representing London constituencies. 2. Paid by United Kingdom Government, under s. 1 of the European Assembly (Pay and Pensions) Act 1979.
Travel allowances 1. Reimbursement of all travel within United Kingdom on Parliamentary business. Allowed for travel:
2. Reimbursement for 15 journeys a year to Westminster for MP's spouses and/or children. (a) to each meeting of Parliament for travel between MEP's home address and the seat of Parliament;
(b) between place of arrival and place of work, during meetings of the Parliament;
(c) other travel, with prior authorisation, to attend meetings of other Community bodies or as a Parliament representative;
(d) allowance of up to 400 ECU (about £254) month for travel within their home country.
Mode of transport allowed: Mode of transport allowed:
(i) by car, flat rate allowance of 24.9p per mile, or (i) normal flat rate of 0.43 ECU per km (about 27.3p per km) for first 400 km and 0.215 ECU per km (about 13.6p per km) for subsequent km.
(ii) by first class rail, or (ii) official car from place of arrival to place of work, free up to 20 km, thereafter MEP must contribute 0.30 ECU per km (about 19p per km) or
(iii) by air, or (iii) free taxi, up to 20 km.
(iv) by sea as necessary (iv) outside EC, air fare by most direct route.
Subsistence Allowed for: Subsistence allowance of 114 ECU (about £72.30) per day. A flat rate allowance of 1,615 ECU (about £1,024) per month for general expenses, paid automatically.
(a) Provincial Member with London home staying overnight to carry out Parliamentary duties in constituency.
(b) Provincial Member with constituency home staying overnight in London.
(c) Member with home neither in London nor in constituency, either for nights in London or for nights in the constituency (ie not for both).
Rate: Maximum £5,674 pa.
Research and secretarial allowances Allowed for general office expenses, research and secretarial assistance necessarily and exclusively incurred on Parliamentary duties. Maximum of 2,430 ECU (about £1,541) per month to cover secretarial and research assistance, paid on a reimbursement basis.
Maximum £8,820. Free offices are provided in the Parliament's buildings in Strasbourg and Brussels.
Pro rata supplement payable in the event of sickness of secretary or research assistant lasting more than four weeks.
Additional allowance of £882 to be paid into an approved pension scheme to provide a pension for a secretary or a research assistant.
Miscellaneous allowances (a) Free stationery, free inland telephone and postal service from the Palace of Westminster. (a) Free telephone calls within the European Community from the Parliament's meeting places.
(b) Severance grant varies according to age and service and is paid if Member loses his seat following a general election or if displaced due to boundary changes. (b) Severance grant equal to three months' salary if Member loses his seat.
Maximum £14,510. (c) Reimbursement of the portion of medical costs not paid by the local medical authority for medical treatment required in attending a meeting or journeying to do so, up to BF200,000 (about £2,859) per illness.
(c) An allowance of up to one-sixth of the secretarial allowance towards defraying the expenses of secretarial assistance required in connection with parliamentary duties after a person has ceased to be a Member of the House. (d) Free accident and property insurance cover.
(e) Life assurance premiums paid during MEP's terms of office. DM20,000 (about £5,666) and bonuses and interest paid at age 60, or (if later) after 10 years' service.
(f) Personal accident insurance of up to BF7,000,000 (about £100,071).

MPs MEPs
Pensions The Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund and the European Assembly (United Kingdom representatives) Pension Scheme provide exactly the same benefits. The basic benefit is a pension equal to one sixtieth times the number of years service (up to a maximum of 40) times pensionable salary in the last year of service. All serving members are required to contribute 6 per cent, of salary. There are also provisions for dependants benefits, the purchase of additional years of reckonable service and the transfer of pension rights. MEPs receive the same pensions as members of the national parliaments. For Luxembourg, France and Italy, the European Parliament pays a pension equivalent to one third of a Commissioner's salary, subject to national weighting.

Forward to