§ Mr. LoveTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 17 July 2001,Official Report, column 145W, on locally engaged staff, what reference is made in setting pay levels of locally engaged civilian staff to the local poverty datum line; whether the pay levels can fall below local poverty datum lines; and if he will make a statement. [22775]
§ Dr. MoonieThis information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The pay and terms of service of locally engaged staff are968W determined by processes which involve surveys of local employers. The employers used in such surveys are reputable and are chosen as representative of responsible local employment practice. Such employers include, for example, the Brunei Government for pay surveys in Brunei and the US embassy for pay surveys in Nepal. In Germany, where the largest proportion of locally engaged civilians are employed, pay and terms of service are negotiated centrally by the Germany Federal Ministry of Finance and the national Trade Unions in accordance with the Collective Tariff Agreement applicable to the NATO Sending States. Terms and conditions of service also reflect the requirements of local employment law.
There is no reason to believe, therefore, that locally engaged civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence are disadvantaged in any way.