§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the present appointments of the part-time members of the board of the Commission for Racial Equality expire; and if he will make a statement.
20W
§ Mr. RaisonThe appointments of 10 part-time members of the commission expire on 30 April 1982 and of three others on 30 April 1983. We hope shortly to be in a position to make a statement about the future membership of the commission.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the present daily attendance fees for part-time members of the Commission for Racial Equality; what was the daily figure for each of the last four years; if he will give the percentage increases; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will list in the Official Report the present salaries and fringe benefits of the chairman and deputy chairman and chairman designate of the Commission for Racial Equality; what these salaries were in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981; if he will give the percentage increases; and if he will make a statement;
(3) if the salary increases of the chairman, deputy chairman and employees of the Commission for Racial Equality are in line with the Government's 4 per cent. pay guidelines; and if he will make a statement;
(4) if he authorised the increase in the salary of the deputy chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality and the increase in attendance allowances for the board's part-time members; and, if so, what criteria for the increases were applied.
§ Mr. RaisonMy right hon. Friend authorises the salaries of the chairman and deputy chairman of the commission, and the fees payable to the part-time commissioners, with the agreement of the Minister for the Civil Service. As with other public bodies, the level of increase in such salaries is determined following a review of the pay of the higher civil service, in accordance with the arrangement set out in paragraph 52 of "Non-Departmental Public Bodies: a Guide for Departments". Increases in the rate of fees are also determined by reference to analogous increased in the pay of the Civil Service.
Details of the salaries and fees payable over the past four years are:
Salaries (percentage increase in brackets) Chairman £
Deputy chairman £
1 January 1978 13,430 9,375 1 January 1979 16,035 (19.4%) 12,640 (34.8%) 1 April 1980 23,105 (44.1%) 16,535 (30.8%) 1 April 1981 24,720 (7%) 17,690 (7%) In addition, the deputy chairman's salary attracts an inner London weighting allowance. The rates applicable on 1 April in the years 1978–1981 were £524, £780, £1,016, and £1,087 respectively. The chairman and deputy chairman are members of a non-contributing pension scheme analogous to the principal Civil Service pension scheme.
Fees (percentage increase in brackets) £ 1 July 1978 19.50 1 January 1980 40 (105.1%) 7 May 1980 50 (25%) 1 April 1981 52 (4%) The level of any increase in the salaries of the chairman, deputy chairman or staff of the commission in 1982 has 21W yet to be determined. The 4 per cent. pay cash factor for 1982ߝ83 is not a pay guideline and does not imply that all public service pay increases will or should be 4 per cent.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present cost of the salaries, fringe benefits and daily attendance allowances of the board of the Commission for Racial Equality; and what the figures were in each of the last four years.
§ Mr. RaisonThe total cost in the current financial year of salaries and fees to members of the commission (including the fees of additional commissioners appointed for the purpose of formal investigations) is expected to be about £78,000. Expenditure in previous years was:
1978–79 £30,360 1979–80 £38,426 1980–81 £65,768
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in his future appointments to the board of the Commission for Racial Equality, he will appoint persons with a close knowledge and experience of the ethnic majority as well as those with a close knowledge and experience of the ethnic minorities.
§ Mr. RaisonMy right hon. Friend will continue to seek to appoint members of the Commission for Racial Equality with knowledge and experience in many walks of life which are relevant to the commission's work. The present members come from both the majority and the minority communities.