§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the staff serving the Saville Inquiry and give(a) the annual full cost of their employment to his Department, (b) their salaries, (c) their daily expense allowance and (d) the collective costs of their travel to date. [46022]
§ Mr. BrowneAs at 9 April 2002, 35 staff serve the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. This figure includes administrative staff, solicitors and paralegals, but excludes Counsel to the Inquiry.
Thirty-one of these staff are paid as civil servants according to the NIO pay scales as follows. 60W
Grade Number Salary range(£) SCS 3 Covers three pay bands: 44,038–69,178 48,552–77,869 53,534–87,598 A 1 30,250–48,750 B1 1 22,750—34,325 B2 8 18,500–27,750 C 8 14,000–23,750 Dl 5 11,000–15,250 D2 5 10,000–13,000 Total 31 12001–02 rates In addition to those listed previously, there are currently two Grade C and two Grade D1 temporary staff who have been employed through an agency.
The total salary costs, including agency costs, to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry Secretariat was £3,493,332 as at 9 April 2002. This can be broken down for each year as follows:
£ 1997–98 5,479 1998–99 452,362 1999–2000 738,758 2000–01 1,067,206 2001–02 1,229,527 These costs are inclusive of employer's national insurance and pensions contributions and, in the case of agency staff, VAT.
Staff expenses are essentially subsistence allowances. These are calculated in line with the rates paid to NIO civil servants and differ according to the individual's circumstances. Listing each would be possible only at disproportionate cost. The sum of subsistence allowances paid to Inquiry staff was £241,410 as at 9 April 2002.
The total travel costs of Inquiry staff was £712,913 to 9 April 2002. Most of this sum relates to travel between London and Northern Ireland.
The cost of providing accommodation for these individuals was £363,586 to 9 April 2002. Most of this sum relates to accommodation in Londonderry.