§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the level of sickness among entry clearance officers in Bombay.[29564]
§ Mr. FatchettThe level of sickness among Entry Clearance Officers in Bombay is low. During 1997, the 10 full time ECOs in Bombay took a total of 11 days sick leave. Seven temporary additional staff took a total of 11days sick leave.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what(a) allowances and (b) holidays entry clearance officers in Bombay receive. [29563]
§ Mr. FatchettEntry Clearance Officers in Bombay, as elsewhere, are drawn from both HM Diplomatic Service and the Home Office. Their conditions of service vary accordingly, although local Cost of Living and Difficult Post Allowances are paid on the same basis. Individual allowances also vary according to salary levels and family circumstances. Typically, a Home Office Immigration 531W Officer with spouse and one child in Bombay will receive an annual package of allowances worth between £9,937 and £11,221 depending on salary. A Diplomatic Service Officer in the same family circumstances will receive from £10,261 to £10,361 again dependent on salary.
The standard leave entitlement depending on length of service is 35 to 42 days plus seven to 14 days local leave and in Bombay, 14 days unhealthy leave addition. All leave while overseas is based on a seven day week, so that weekends and public holidays falling during leave count against that settlement. In Bombay staff are entitled to six fare paid journeys during a three year tour of duty.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the level of staffing of entry clearance officers in Bombay. [29561]
§ Mr. FatchettThere are currently 10 Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs) working in the visa section in Bombay. The authorised establishment is 10 officers. The section is, therefore, fully staffed. During 1997, the number of ECOs in Bombay never fell below the authorised establishment.
In addition, in 1997, the visa section was reinforced with an extra seven ECOs, to cope with the increased number of applications during the busiest months. The additional staff provided 22.5 man months of support.
In 1998, an additional seven officers will again be provided, amounting to 24.5 man months of support during the busiest period.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current salary levels of entry clearance officers in Bombay.[29562]
§ Mr. FatchettEntry Clearance Officers in Bombay, as elsewhere, are drawn from both HM Diplomatic Service and the Home Office, usually the Immigration Service. Their respective annual salary ranges are
£12,384 to £18,228 (HM Diplomatic Service)£12,526 to £19,970 (Home Office).Both groups receive a Recruitment and Retention Allowance of £1,776 per annum.