§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Lord President of the Council how many individuals currently in receipt of employee payments from the office costs allowance are married or otherwise related to current hon. Members.
§ Mr. MacGregorThere is no requirement for hon. Members to inform the Fees Office of any family relationship with them or other hon. Members when authorising payments of salaries to their staff from the office costs allowance. I regret therefore that the information requested is not available.
§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Lord President of the Council how many Members employ(a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) five or more employees from their office costs allowance.
§ Mr. MacGregorExcluding one-off payments, 171 Members employed one member of staff; 270 employed two; 141 employed three; 42 employed four and 13 employed five or more as at the end of October.
§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Lord President of the Council how many employees are paid out of the office costs allowance; and how many Members have given their employees a contract of employment as requested by the Fees Office and the House.
§ Mr. MacGregorExcluding one-off payments there were, at 31 October 1991, 1,332 persons employed by hon. Members and paid from the office costs allowance. This represents 1,370 separate employments. On the same date 601 hon. Members had contracts of employment with members of their staff.
§ Mr. StevensTo ask the Lord President of the Council if there is to be any increase in 1991 in the maximum sum that may be claimed by an hon. Member in respect of additional expenses necessarily incurred in staying overnight away from his main home for the purpose of performing his parliamentary duties.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe civil service daily rate of subsistence for class 1 regular visitor (inner London) remains at £74.90 per day from 1 August 1991. Therefore, in accordance with the resolutions of the House of 20 December 1971 and 22 July 1975, the maximum sum that may be reimbursed will remain at £10,786 for the year ending 31 March 1992.