§ Mr. Norman Fowlerasked the Minister for the Civil Service (1) whether he will set out details of those civil servants and public employees to whom London allowance is paid, giving (a) the numbers involved and (b) breaking down the total between Government Departments;
(2) whether he will set out the annual cost of the London allowance breaking down the total between Government Departments.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisI can answer only for the Civil Service. The accompanying table gives, by Department, the numbers of non-industrial civil servants working in inner and outer London on 1st January 1976, together with the annual cost of paying these numbers the appropriate London weighting allowances—inner London £465, outer £275. Comparable figures for industrial civil servants are not centrally available and could not be collected in time. But on 1st January 1975, 6,928 industrial civil servants worked in inner London and 12,402 in outer London. Assuming that these numbers were paid the current rates of London weighting, introduced on 1st July 1975, the annual costs would be £3,221,520 for inner London and £3,410,550 for outer London, giving a total for industrial civil servants of £6,632,070.
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NON-INDUSTRIAL CIVIL SERVANTS ELIGIBLE FOR LONDON WEIGHTING AND WORKING IN LONDON ON 1ST JANUARY 1976, AND THE ANNUAL COST OF LONDON WEIGHTING ALLOWANCES FOR THESE NUMBERS Inner London Outer London Total Department Numbers Cost Numbers Cost Numbers Cost £ £ £ Cabinet Office … … 668 310,620 2 550 670 311,170 Charity Commission … … 220 102,300 1 275 221 102,575 Civil Service Department … … 1,891 879,315 602 165,550 2,493 1,044,865 Government Actuary … … 66 30,690 — — 66 30,690 Royal Mint … … 88 40,920 — — 88 40,920 National Debt Office … … 64 29,760 — — 64 29,760 Paymaster General's Office … … 4 1,860 — — 4 1,860 Privy Council … … 47 21,855 — — 47 21,855 Public Record Office … … 366 170,190 34 9,350 400 179,540 Office of Manpower Economics … … 19 8,835 1 275 20 9,110 Civil Service Pay Research Unit … … 39 18,135 — — 39 18,135 Treasury … … 1,091 507,315 27 7,425 1,118 514,740 Lord Chancellor's Office … … 3,156 1,467,540 751 206,525 3,907 1,674,065 Office of Fair Trading … … 272 126,480 13 3,575 285 130,055 Northern Ireland Office … … 164 76,260 — — 164 76,260 Ministry of Defence … … 16,584 7,711,560 11,500 3,162,500 28,084 10,874,060 Passport Office … … 295 137,175 58 15,950 353 153,125 Land Registry … … 157 73,005 951 261,525 1,108 334,530 Law Officers Department … … 16 7,440 — — 16 7,440 Home Office* … … 6,124 2,847,660 3,656 1,005,400 9,780 3,853,060 Treasury Solicitor … … 416 193,440 7 1,925 423 193,365 Department of the Director of Public Prosecution … … 183 85,095 — — 183 85,085 Public Trustee Office … … 465 216,225 — — 465 216,225 Department of the Environment (including PSA) … … 11,010 5,119,650 6,878 1,891,450 17,889 7,011,100 Lord Advocate's Department … … 16 7,440 — — 16 7,440 Department of Employment Group … … 6,098 2,835,570 3,701 1,017,775 9,799 3,853,345 868W869W
Inner London Outer London Total Department Numbers Cost Numbers Cost Numbers Cost £ £ £ Department of Education and Science, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum 2,848 1,324,320 191 52,525 3,039 1,376,845 Registry of Friendly Societies 117 54,405 — — 117 54,405 Office of Population Censuses and Surveys 985 458,025 3 825 988 458,850 Department of Health and Social Services 9,997 4,648,605 6,998 1,924,450 16,995 6,573,055 Intervention Board 16 7,440 2 550 18 7,990 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 2,578 1,198,770 837 230,175 3,415 1,428,945 Ordnance Survey 187 86,955 103 28,325 290 115,280 Crown Estate Office 70 32,550 — — 70 32,550 Export Credit Guarantees Department 1,629 757,485 69 18,975 1,698 776,460 Department of Energy 841 391,065 29 7,975 870 399,040 DTI Group (Trade, Industry and PCP) 10,262 4,771,830 1,632 448,800 11,924 5,220,630 HMSO 998 464,070 148 40,700 1,146 504,770 Customs and Excise 6,744 3,135,960 1,362 374,550 8,106 3,510,510 Inland Revenue 7,962 3,702,330 7,518 2,067,450 15,480 5,769,780 Department of National Savings 1,549 720,285 137 37,675 1,686 757,960 Central Office of Information 1,110 516,150 67 18,425 1,177 534,575 Welsh Office 48 22,320 — — 48 22,320 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 3,250 1,511,250 — — 3,250 1,511,250 Ministry of Overseas Development 1,683 782,595 521 143,275 2,204 925,870 Scottish Office 48 22,320 — — 48 22,320 Totals 102,441 47,635,065 47,799 13,144,725 150,240 60,779,790 * The figures attributed to the Home Office overstate the cost because they include—in the prison service—the only identifiable group of civil servants who do not receive the allowance either in full or at all because they do not incur the relevant costs.
§ Mr. Norman Fowlerasked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he will set out the current terms and aims of the London allowance.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisLondon weighting is paid to civil servants employed in London other than Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Secretares and equivalent grades. The rates, last revised on 1st July 1975, are £465 for inner London—within five miles of Charing Cross—and £275 for outer London, between five and 18 miles from Charing Cross plus certain additions. Since 1974 the allowance has been based on recommendations made in Advisory Report No. 4 by the Pay Board, which considered that its basic justification was to ensure comparability of real earnings for people working in London and elsewhere. London weighting is thus intended to compensate for the higher costs of travel, housing and other items as well as for the wear and tear of travel and for lower housing standards.