§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the positions in his Department which the seven officials, transferred from the Foreign Office within the last year, now hold; at what point on the salary scale they have been placed; and what special allowances they receive.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe Northern Ireland Office, since its inception as a new Department in 1972, has naturally had to draw staff from appropriate available sources including Departments in the Home Civil Service, the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials concerned, like all other staff in the NIO, fill normal posts throughout the Department within an established complement and in accordance with Civil Service grades. The question about the point of entry on the salary scale is, therefore, misplaced. Secondment attracts no special allowance.