§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Lord President of the Council on what basis Members of Parliament who are selected to attend the European Parliament at Strasbourg are entitled to receive a £23 per day subsistence allowance and a travel allowance of 10p per kilometre for the first 400 kilometres and 2½p thereafter; how these payments compare with those paid from the House of Commons Vote to Members of Parliament on official business; and whether these payments are tax-free.
§ Mr. PriorI would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the lion. Member for Walthamstow, West (Mr. Deakins) on 7th November, 1972.
The subsistence and travel allowances which are payable to Members of the United Kingdom Parliament travelling in
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CIVIL SERVICE STAFF IN POST—1ST OCTOBER, 1972 Ministerial Responsibilities Central Administration Public Services Executive Functions Trading and Repayment Services General Support Services CABINET OFFICE: Secretariat and central support staff … … 413 — — — Central Statistical Office … … … 178 — — — 591 — — — AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD: Agriculture, Fisheries and Food policy … 1,805 — — — Agricultural Development and Advisory Service … … … … … — 5,329 — — Other technical staff … … … … — 94 — — Regional and divisional offices … … — 5,034 — — Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place … … — 468 — — Fisheries, Pest Infestation, Food Science and Torry Research Laboratories … … — 977 — — Central Services … … … … 1,829 — — — 3,634 11,902 — — this country on official business—e.g., as members of a Select Committee—are based on the rates and conditions of payment which apply to senior civil servants. The night subsistence allowance is £6.24 Normal first-class travel applies. When travelling abroad on official business the rate of subsistence allowance varies according to the country visited.
Members of Parliament attending meetings of the Council of Europe and Western European Union receive a daily subsistence allowance of Fr. Frs. 200 (£16.70 at current rate of exchange) and a miscellaneous daily expenses allowance of Fr. Frs. 50 (£4.10 at current rate of exchange).
The question of whether allowances paid to members of the European Assembly would be free of United Kingdom tax is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.—[Vol. 845, c. 159.]