§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 30 April ( WA 101) concerning Cross-Border Implementation Bodies, who approved the remuneration package of the Chief Executive of the Special European Union Programmes body and when; on what basis it was calculated; and how it relates to the remuneration package of the Chief Executives of other Cross Border Bodies. [HL2714]
§ Lord Williams of Mostyn:The salary ranges for the chief executives of North/South Implementation Bodies and other conditions of service were formally approved by the North/South Ministerial Council at a plenary meeting on 26 September 2000.
The chief executive post for the SEUPB was assessed as being at the Senior Civil Service level. Following a recruitment exercise, the starting salary and remuneration package of the successful candidate was negotiated by the two finance departments, which resulted in a recommendation that the candidate be offered the highest salary point on the scale. This was approved by the Finance Ministers (North and South) following which the appointment was confirmed by the North/South Ministerial Council on 19 December 2000.
Salary ranges for all the chief executives were based on detailed job descriptions for each post and an assessment of grading and salary levels made against the job evaluation system used within the Northern Ireland Civil Service. All the chief executive posts were assessed as falling within either the Northern Ireland Senior Civil Service level or the NICS Principal (Grade 7) level. The starting salaries were negotiated with each of the successful candidates and were agreed between the Department of Finance and Personnel and the Department of Finance. The table at Annex 1 shows the comparison between the SEUPB and the other CEOs' remuneration packages.
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ANNEX I Comparison of North/South Implementation Bodies CEO Salaries Chief Executive Senior Civil Service (Note 1)/NICS Grade 7 Current Salary Range Current Salary SEUPB (Note 2) Senior Civil Service £51,250–£66,953 £66,953 Waterways Ireland Senior Civil Service £70,725–£83,025 £70,725 Food Safety Promotion Board (Note 3) Senior Civil Service €81,981– £102,478(£50,828–£63,536) €87,165 (£54,042) Trade and Business Development Body Senior Civil Service £51,500–£72,100 £57,822 N/S Language Body Foras Na Gaeilge (Note 3) Senior Civil Service €87,319–?100,200 (£54,138–£62,124) €87,319 (£54,138) The Boord o Ulster-Scotch NICS Grade 7 £29,744–£54,700 (effective 1/04/02) Not in post FCILC Loughs Agency (Note 2) Senior Civil Service £53,511—£63,946 £53,511 Notes
1. The posts assessed at Senior Civil Service were aligned to the relevant pay bands and then adjusted to take account of the fact that the scales in the south had a significantly lower maximum.
2. Two of the North/South Implementation Bodies' chief executives have been provided with cars.
The chief executive of the Special EU Programmes Body is provided with a Mercedes Benz, which does not have a capital value in accounting terms to the organisation as it is leased. The current taxable benefit of the car is £11,203 or 14 per cent of his remuneration package.
The chief executive of the Loughs Agency has use of a Landrover Freelander which has a current capital value of £8,703. The current taxable benefit of the car is £2,402. This vehicle is not part of the remuneration package.
3. These CEOs are paid in euros—figures have been converted to sterling (£1= £1.6129) for ease of comparison.
§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made in the provision of pensions for staff of the Cross-Border Implementation Bodies. [HL2770]
§ Lord Williams of Mostyn:The North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) at the September 2002 Plenary approved the outline of the proposed benefit structure for a common pension scheme (modelled on the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (N1)) for the North/South Implementation Bodies.
Officials from both the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP), in Northern Ireland, and the Department of Finance (DoF), in the Republic of Ireland, together with the Government Actuary's Department (GAD), in Great Britain, drew up a set of draft scheme rules on behalf of the bodies. This required considering a number of complex legal and other issues surrounding the unique status of a pension scheme for all North/South bodies (including Tourism Ireland Ltd.). They also secured preliminary statutory or other approvals from a wide range of stakeholders in both the UK and Republic of Ireland, including the bodies, Revenue organisations and public sector pensions departments.
The bodies and sponsoring departments are currently considering a revised draft set of rules. Following agreement by these organisations, the final clearance from the other stakeholders will be sought prior to final approval.
In the meantime, the bodies are consulting with the trade unions on the introduction of the scheme, and are making the other practical arrangements necessary to administer the scheme, when approved.