HC Deb 11 January 1995 vol 252 cc140-5W
Mr. Matthew Banks

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what delegations have been made in 1994 under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992; to whom those delegations were made; and what were the main conditions that were attached to them.

Sir George Young

The table lists delegations made under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992 since the last report to Parliament, Official Report, 13 January 1994, column 246. In some cases, for staff appointed by statutory office holders, Ministers were statutorily required to give consent to terms and conditions of service. For such staff, delegation has been

List of Delegations made in 1994 under the civil service (management functions) Act 1992
Delegation Nature of delegation Recipients Main conditions
1. Boarding school allowance. Authority to determine the eligibility for and amounts of assistance that may be paid to members of the home civil service who are posted overseas and incur fees to educate a child in the UK as a result. Ministers in charge of departments and statutory and certain other office holders1. Schooling allowance will be payable only:(i) when the officer has sole parental responsibility for the child, or is accompanied on the overseas posting at public expenses by a spouse who either has sole parental responsibility or joint responsibility with the officer; and
(ii) if the department is satisfied that the nature, place, timing and duration of the officer's overseas posting make boarding school or other education in the UK desirable; and
(iii) if the department accepts that the officer incurs the expenditure solely because of the overseas posting; and
(iv) on proof of actual fees by an educational institution in the UK at which the child (while under the age of nineteen) pursues full time academic or vocational studies; and
(v) when the costs of exercising this delegation can be met from within existing running costs and cash limits.
2. Terms and conditions of service of industrial employees. Authority to set the terms and conditions of service of industrial employees in their respective departments. Ministers in charge of departments and statutory office holders, as appropriate for the following departments1 Departments and Agencies must: (i) continue to comply with certain sections of the civil service management code.
FCO (ii) ensure that any changes made to the terms and conditions specified must provide value for money and be made in a way which does not jeopardise essential public expenditure safeguards.
HO
DTI
DTp
MOD
MAFF
DNH
DOE
PSA
WO
DSS
SO
NIO
DoH
First Crown Estates Commissioner
3. Recruitment and retention allowance Authority to determine for home civil servants in their respective departments and working in the UK eligibility for and amount of new recruitment and retention allowance. Ministers in charge of departments and statutory and certain other office holders1. (i) The new recruitment and retention allowance may be paid only to meet locational, posting, discipline related or other recruitment and retention problems;
(ii) Departments and agencies must ensure that use of the RRA represents value for money and does not jeopardise essential public expenditure safeguards;

effected by waiving that requirement, subject to the conditions attached to the delegation.

The delegation of terms and conditions of service applies generally across the civil service except where the answer makes it clear that this is not the case.

List of Delegations made in 1994 under the civil service (management functions) Act 1992
Delegation Nature of delegation Recipients Main conditions
(iii) the allowance must not exceed £3,000 a year and must not be paid above grade 4 level;
(iv) Departments and agencies may decide to make it pensionable, non-pensionable or part pensionable to reflect different types of recruitment and retention problems;
(v) Departments and agencies must take the cost of pensionability into account in considering whether the RRA should be pensionable or not;
(vi) details of the RRA arrangements, including pensionability provision, must be given to all staff and made clear to new staff in letters of appointment.
4. Recruitment and retention allowance for staff overseas. as above Ministers in charge of departments and statutory and certain office holders. as above
5. Delegation of pay and certain conditions of service. Authority to determine pay and certain pay-related conditions of service of civil servants below the senior open structure (with the exception of retirement and redundancy, the reinstatement and re-employment of persons in the service and the re-deployment of staff between departments). Agency chief executives are also excluded from the scope of the delegations. Ministers in charge of departments and statutory officeholders1, as appropriate, for the following organisations: (i) The recipient must continue to comply with certain sections of the civil service management code.
Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ii) Changes made to terms and conditions must provide value for money and be made in a way which does not jeopardise essential public expenditure safeguards.
Social Security Benefits Agency
Social Security Contributions Agency
HM Customs and Excise
Defence Research Agency
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Driving Standards Agency
HM Stationery Office
HM Prison Service
Health and Safety Executive
Social Security Information Technology Service Agency
Meteorological Office
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
Royal Mint
Scottish Prison Service
Vehicle Inspectorate.

1. Statutory and Certain Other Office Holders

  • First Parliamentary Counsel
  • Government Actuary
  • Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies
  • National Debt Commissioners/National Public Works Loan Commissioners
  • Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce
  • Board of the Inland Revenue(i)
  • Commissioners for Customs and Excise(i)
  • Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, Wales(ii)
  • The Franchising Director, Office of Passenger Rail Franchising(ii)
  • The Rail Regulator(ii)
  • Director General of the National Lottery(ii)
    1. (i) Recruitment and retention allowance delegation does not apply to departments which have delegated authority over pay and pay-related functions on 1 April 1994.
    2. (ii) Also received in 1994 delegation of minimum recruitment criteria made originally to Ministers in charge of departments and certain other office holders in 1993.
  • Staff of Bodies Covered by Statutory Provisions

  • Crown Estate Office (CEO)
  • Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
  • Office of Fair Trading (OFT)
  • Office of Gas Supply (OFGAS)
  • Office of Electricity Regulation (Offer)
  • Office of Her Majesty's chief Inspector of Schools, Wales(i)
  • Office of the National Lottery (Oflot)(i)
  • Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted)
  • Office of Telecommunications (Oftel)
  • Office of Water Services (Ofwat)
  • Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF)(i)
  • Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR)(i)
  • Procurator Fiscal Service (PFS)
  • Serious Fraud Office (SFO)
  1. (i) Also received in 1994 delegations on travel, overseas accountable entertainment allowance, United Kingdom relocation expenses and rents for key staff occupying government-owned residential properties made originally to Ministers in charge of departments and certain other office holders in 1993.

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