Low Pay (Hansard, 3 December 1997)

§ Mr. Morley

[holding answer 2 December 1997]: I will answer for the Department, the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) and the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency (FRCA). Chief Executives of the Department's other Agencies will be replying direct.

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Staff in the Department, PSD and FRCA are salaried. They are not paid by the hour and, in common with other Government Departments, only two geographical rates of salary exist—London and National. However, I am able to provide data based on salary levels divided by normal full-time working hours of 36 hours per week in London or 37 hours elsewhere.

(a) for full-time employees the lowest hourly rate using a formula based on the above is as follows:

Job Title
Administrative assistant
London pay rate
£4.13 per hour
National pay rate
£3.42 per hour

(b) for part-time employees in the same grade, the above rates are paid according to the number of hours they work.
(c) employees in the same grade on fixed term contracts are also paid at the above rates.
(d) the rates of pay of employees of firms in the private sector undertaking contracted-out services are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Letter form T.W.A. Little to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 3 December 1997: The Minster has asked me to reply to your question about the lowest hourly rate paid to staff within the VLA. Staff in this Agency are salaried and are not paid by the hour. However, I am able to provide data based on salary levels divided by normal full-time working hours of 36 hours per week in London or 37 hours elsewhere. In the VLA there are no geographical distinctions in pay.

(a) For full-time employees the lowest hourly rate using a formula based on the above is an follows:

Pay Band G
Working 37 hours per week received £4.27 per hour
Working 36 hours per week received £4.38 per hour

(b) For part-time employees in the same grade the above rates are paid according to the number of hours they work.
(c) Employees in the same pay band on personal contracts are also paid at the above rate.
(d) This information is not available.

At (c) we have regarded "personal contracts" as fixed term appointees.

Letter from Michael Finnigan to Mr. David Chidgey, Dated 3 December 1997: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and food has asked me to reply to your question about the lowest hourly rate paid to staff within the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency (FRCA). Staff in the FRCA are salaried and not paid by the hour. However, I am able to provide data based on salary levels divided by normal full-time working hours of 36 hours per week in London or 37 hours elsewhere.

(a) For full-time employees the lowest hourly rate using a formula based on the above is as follows:

Job Title: Administrative Assistant
London pay rate: £4.13 per hour
National pay rate: £3.42 per hour

(b) For part-time employees in the same grade, the above rates are paid according to the number of hours they work.
(c) Employees in the same pay band on personal contracts are also paid at the above rate.
(d) This information is not available.

Letter from Professor P. I. Stanley to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 3 December 1997: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply, in respect of the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), to your question concerning the lowest hourly rate paid to employees. Staff in CSL are salaried and are not paid by the hour. However, I am able to provide data based on salary levels divided by the normal full-time working hours of 37 per week. For full-time employees the lowest hourly rate, based on the formula above, is £3.62 per hour for a member of staff in the CSL Level 1 grade. For part-time employees in the same grade the above rate is paid according to the number of hours worked. Employees in the same grade on fixed-term contracts are also paid at the above rate. There are no geographical distinctions in the rates of pay.

Letter from J.M. Rutter to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 3 December 1997: The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about lowest hourly rates of pay in the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. Staff in the VMD are salaried and not paid by the hour. However, I am able to provide data based on salary levels divided by normal full time working hours of 36 hours per week. For full or part time staff the lowest rate is for an Administrative Assistant earning £4.13 per hour. We do not employ any staff on personal contracts in this grade, and the rates of pay of employees working for companies contracted by VMD are not held by VMD.

Letter from Johnston McNeill to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 3 December 1997: As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Services (MHS), your question to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food enquiring about the lowest hourly rate paid to full-time employees, part-time employees and others has been passed to me for reply with regard to this Executive Agency. MHS staff are salaried and not paid by the hour. However I am able to provide data based on salary levels divided by normal full time and part time working hours of 37 and 16 hours per week respectively. MHS pay levels are on a national (Great Britain) basis and not differentiated by regional boundaries. For full time employees the lowest hourly rate is £4.00 per hour for the Office Junior post. For part time employees the lowest hourly rate is £5.29 hour for the Executive Assistant post. The MHS does not have any persons employed under personal contracts. The MHS employs the services of contract Official Veterinary Surgeons (OVSs) to carry out the enforcement of fresh meat hygiene, inspection and animal welfare at slaughter legislation in licensed premises. The MHS has no information of the rates of pay of such contract OVSs employed by private veterinary practices.

Letter from P.W. Greig-Smith to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 3 December 1997: In response to your Parliamentary Question on hourly rates of pay, I have been asked to provide you with the relevant figures covering the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Agriculture Science (CEFAS). Staff in CEFAS are salaried and are not paid by the hour. However, we are able to provide an hourly rate, based on the salary level divided by normal full-time working hours of 37 hours per week. 267W

(a) For full-time employees the lowest hourly rate using the above formula is as follows:

Job Title: Administrative Assistant
Hourly rate: £3.42

(b) For part-time employees in the same grade, the above rate is paid according to the number of hours they work.
(c) Employees in the same grade on personal contracts are also paid at the above rate.
(d) The rates of pay of employees working for companies contracted by CEFAS are not known.