§ Mr. PikeTo ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, when the 1999 pay settlement for House of Commons staff will be implemented; and if he will make a statement. [85971]
§ Mr. KirkwoodThere are four groups of House of Commons staff covered by separate pay settlements each year. They are the Senior Commons Staff (SCS), the Main Structure Staff (Pay Bands A to E), the Refreshment Department Catering Staff and the Works Directorate Craft Staff.
The pay of the Senior Commons Staff is kept in line with that of the Senior Civil Service. The Government accepted the recommendations of the Senior Salaries Review Body in February and the recommended increases have been implemented with effect from 1 April 1999.
The negotiations with the unions recognised to represent staff in Pay Bands A to E started in April 1999 and are continuing.
The negotiations with the unions representing staff in the Craft and Catering pay bands are expected to start towards the end of June.
The implementation date for all the settlements is 1 April 1999.