§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many written submissions the Special Advisers Remuneration Committee has received from Cabinet ministers asking for a special adviser to be appointed on a point scale above the lowest point scale of each of the special adviser pay bands since 2 May 1997; [58718]
(2) how many times the Special Advisers Remuneration Committee has met since 2 May 1997. [58716]
The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of StateInformation relating to internal meetings and advice is not provided under exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
676W
§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister who the members are of the Special Advisers Remuneration Committee. [58717]
The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of StateMy noble Friend, Lord Williams, the Leader of the House of Lords chairs the Special Advisers Remuneration Committee. The other members of the Committee are the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Economic Secretary. The Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office attends meetings of the Committee as an observer to offer an Accounting Officer perspective.
§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many special advisers fall into Band(a) A, (b) B and (c) C of the special adviser pay system; [58715]
677W(2) what the equivalent Civil Service grade is of a special adviser on (a) Band A, (b) Band B and (c) Band C of the special advisers' pay system. [58719]
The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of StateAs the Government has already announced, the previous Special Adviser Pay Bands of A, B and C were superseded from June 2001 by a new pay system, based on individual job evaluation. A description of this pay system is in the House Library. The process of individual job evaluation is still under way. Information on the outcome of this process will be provided once it is completed. There is no direct comparison between Civil Service grades and Special Adviser posts as roles and responsibilities are different.