§ Mr. MacGregorasked the Minister for the Civil Service what are the remuneration arrangements for Government information officers for being on standby duty at home during weekends; and what range of payments are involved.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisCivil servants up to Principal level required to remain on call at their homes out of duty hours may claim an on-call allowance of £1 per night or £3 per 24 hours at weekends. In addition, information staff who have to work for substantial periods at home are allowed, exceptionally, to count this as overtime or towards a long hours gratuity claim. Individual claims are dealt with in Departments and not recorded centrally, but their size will depend on the hours worked—which vary widely—the salary and the category of overtime. For example, at the lower end of the range an information officer on the minimum of the scale—£4,365, London —would earn some £2.30 for each hour of weeknight overtime provided that he had worked at least three excess hours in the week; while at the top end the Sunday rate for a senior information officer on the maximum of the scale—£6,365, London—would be some £4.70, 551W but only if he had worked at least 18 hours of overtime over a six-week period. Staff on higher salaries are generally excluded from these payments.