§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
How the sum of £398 exclusive of "expenses" was arrived at as the appropriate daily fee to be paid to Sir Alan Bailey, ex-Permanent Secretary at the Department of Transport, to chair an inquiry into fire protection at Royal palaces, and whether this daily fee was in addition to any pension he might be receiving.
Viscount AstorThe fee of £398 per day (before tax) is equal to the daily rate of pay for an officer of an equivalent rank serving in the Civil Service. This is in line with a long-standing policy of remunerating people at the appropriate level for their time and expertise on inquiries of such importance and complexity. The fee is in addition to Sir Alan Bailey's Civil Service pension but, in accordance with normal rules, if his pension and fees together were to exceed his former grade's salary, the pension would be abated by the excess.