HC Deb 23 January 1985 vol 71 cc457-8W
Mr. Mason

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many Select Committee reports have been debated on the Floor of the House and on which topics since 1979.

Mr. Biffen

Eighty-eight Select Committee reports have been the subject of substantive motions for debate. Their topics were:

  • The second report from the Home Affairs Committee 1979–80 on Race Relations and the "sus" law.
  • The second report from the Social Services Committee 1979–80 on Perinatal and Neonatal Mortality.
  • The fourth report from the Social Services Committee 1980–801on Medical Education.
  • The report from the Select Committee on the revision of standing orders 1982–83.
  • The report from the Select Committee on Members' salaries 1981–82.
  • The report from the Select Committee on Procedure (Finance) 1982–83.
  • The report from the Select Committee on Procedure on Short Speeches 1983–84.
  • The first to fourth, eighth, ninth and eleventh to thirty-fifth reports of the Public Accounts Committee 1979–80.
  • The fifth, sixth, seventh and tenth reports of the Public Accounts Committee 1980–81.
  • The sixth to thirtieth reports of the Public Accounts Committee 1981–82.
  • The first to eleventh reports and first special report of the Public Accounts Committee 1982–83.
  • The first to ninth reports of the Public Accounts Committee 1983–84.
  • Other reports, while not the subject of substantive motions, have been noticed on the Order Paper as relevant to debates.

Mr. Mason

asked the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what salaries and for what categories of staff and others servicing the Select Committees are now being paid; and what are their pension entitlements.

Mr. Beith

The grades of staff in the Department of the Clerk of the House which serve Select Committees and their salary ranges are as follows:

Grade Salary Range

£
Clerk of Committees 36,500
Principal Clerk 28,209–30,800
Deputy Principal Clerk 21,313——25,617
Senior Clerk 14,195——18,789
Assistant Clerk 7,317–12,029
Senior Executive Officer 11,782–14,444
Specialist Assistant 9,793–14,444
Chief Office Clerk 8,392–9,792
Senior Office Clerk 7,147–7,653
Personal Secretary 6,729–7,940
Office Clerk 6,542–7,045
Attendant 6,513–7,667

The House of Commons staff pensions scheme is operated by analogy with the Civil Service pension scheme. I am sending the right hon. Member a copy of the booklet setting out its provisions.

In addition, specialist advisers are paid on a per diem basis for work done, ranging from £26 pd to £80 pd. They have no pension entitlement.

Mr. Mason

asked the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what numbers of staff, full-time and part-time, are serving each Select Committee; and how much it has cost since 1979 to date to maintain all the Committees, including the separate costs for all the trips abroad and within the United Kingdom.

Mr. Beith

The number of staff serving each Select Committee are as follows, but in many cases Committee work comprises less than half the duties of the staff concerned.

Number
Agriculture 3
Defence 5
Education, Science and Arts 4
Employment 3
Energy 4
Environment 5
European Legislation 8
Foreign Affairs 4
Home Affairs 4
House of Commons (Services) 5
Liaison 2
Members' Interests* 3
Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration 2
Procedure 2
Public Accounts 3
Scottish Affairs 3
Social Services 4
Sound Broadcasting 2
Trade and Industry 4
Transport 4
Treasury and Civil Service 6
Welsh Affairs 3
* Of whom 2 are part-time.

In addition, there are 10 members of staff (of whom one is part-time) the greater part of whose duties is to service Select Committees generally.

The overall cost of maintaining Select Committees is not readily identifiable. Costs, other than salary costs, which are clearly attributable to Select Committees have been given in the annual Select Committee Return since 1979.