§ Mr. Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in HANSARD a list of the numbers of persons receiving wages or salaries, directly or indirectly, from the Treasury who have not received an increase in their income since 1946, including such persons as Members of Parliament.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI regret that this information is not available.
§ Mr. Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total cost to the Treasury of allowing Members of Parliament £1,000 per annum tax free, in a similar manner similar to that proposed for High Court judges, to enable them to use this sum to pay the cost of postage, secretarial assistance, stationery, travel and living away from home and other expenses necessarily incurred by a Member to represent his constituents satisfactorily and adequately.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe gross cost within a maximum of £625,000 would depend upon whether or not the allowance was paid to hon. Members who hold Ministerial or other paid offices. There would be an offset to the extent that existing tax allowances in respect of expenses set against existing salaries were no longer due. This figure cannot be accurately calculated.
§ Mr. Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the estimated cost, per annum, to the Treasury of making an increase in the salaries of Members of Parliament to such an extent as to compensate them for the loss in purchasing power of their salaries since it was last raised in 1946.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterOn the assumptions that the salary involved would be £1,460, that the number of Ministers and other paid office-holders in the House is 66, that the amount of Parliamentary salary payable to Ministers and others on salaries of less than £5,000 would remain at £500, and that all Members entitled to draw full Parliamentary salary would do so, the gross annual cost would be £257,140.