§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will detail the number of staff, and their grades, who are employed to staff the House's Select Committees; and if he will detail the work they have been involved in, Committee by Committee, since the middle of May, and the salary costs of their staffs since that date.
§ Mr. BeithThe following staff in the Department of the Clerk of the House are currently wholly or mainly employed in connection with the work of select committees:
Number Clerk of Committees (Grade 2) 1 Principal Clerks (Grade 3) 3 Deputy Principal Clerks (Grade 5) 11 Senior Clerks (Grade 7) 12 Assistant Clerks (AT/HEO (D)) 7 Senior Executive Officers 4 Higher Executive Officers 10 Specialist Assistants 3 Chief Office Clerks 1 Senior Office Clerks 6 Senior General Assistant/General Assistants 6 Personal Secretaries (Grade 4) 20 The particular duties carried out by the staff of the House are the responsibility of the heads of the House Departments concerned. There are currently 13 Select Committees in existence; however, staff will not be fully deployed until the departmentally-related Committees have been set up.
Total salaries, at the mean of the salary scale for the grades of those listed above, from 1 June to 31 October (excluding night allowances) would amount to £544,727. Inner London weighting has been included, but allowances and proficiency payments have not. The salary cost does not include provision for superannuation or employer national insurance, which together add 30 per cent. to the above figure. It is not practicable to break down this figure Committee by Committee.