§ Mr. AllenTo ask the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission proposes to make any alterations in respect of its policy towards those aspects of financial control of Select Committee operations for which it has responsibility, as a result of the experience of eight years of Select Committees.
§ Mr. BeithNo. The Commission is, of course, prepared to consider any proposal for change which may be made by the Liaison Committee when it is appointed.
§ Mr. AllenTo ask the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons716W Commission, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) of 29 October, Official Report, column 357, how much has now been paid out in salaries and contributions to pensions etc, since June, for parliamentary Select Committee staff; what was the figure for the comparable period between June 1983 and the date of the eventual establishment of the Committees; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BeithIn 1983 the majority of departmental Select Committees were appointed on 9 December, and the remainder five days later. Most of the departmental Select Committees were appointed this Session on 2 December. For the purpose of this reply the dates shown above have been used for calculation. In both Sessions a number of non-departmental Select Committees were appointed earlier than these dates. The total cost of salaries at the mean of the salary scale from 1 June to 9 December 1983 of staff employed wholly or mainly in connection with the work of Select Committees, including London weighting, but excluding allowances, provision for superannuation and employers' national insurance contributions was £523,709. The equivalent total cost for 1987 was £647,995. Pensions and employers' national insurance contributions would add approximately 30 per cent. to these figures.