Appendix
On some of the specifics, you may find the following
questions and comments of interest.
Bonus Payments.
There is no indication how long these were paid for. If they were
paid prior to October 1998 when Reid and Winslow were only
working for 15 hours per week for the Scottish Labour Party and
20 hours per week for Reid and Maxton respectively, then they
would still only be working 60 hour weeks—quite reasonable
in an election campaign. If they were paid after October
1998, then there is not an issue so far as Reid was concerned
as he had ceased to be paid by Dr Reid by then.
Where in the budget is the "constant" pool
of £8,000 for bonuses referred to in Jonathan Upton`s letter
of 19 April? If we could find it, we might know when the bonuses
were paid.
Equal Pay. Putting
Reid and Winslow on to broadly equal pay appears to have been
the policy adopted from November 1998 by Alex Rowley. But this
does not in itself imply a cross-subsidy. Indeed, Rowley says
in his e-mail of 20 April that it was his decision to level up
Winslow`s pay in the interests of fairness.
Later in the same e-mail, Rowley says that Anne-Marie
Whyte told him of an "equal pay" policy, but not the
period it relates to. Again, even if it relates to earlier in
the year, it does not necessarily imply a cross-subsidy—only
that the SLP, for its own purposes, wanted to see them treated
broadly equally.
Appendix C—Labour Party budget agreement—13
August 1998. Para 5—can it be
established how it was agreed that MPs and MEP`s would provide
assistance—presumably cash donations, as this is shown in
a separate cash line in the January 1999 budget (which in any
event does not alter in line with the alleged cross-subsidy?
Final accounts.
Can final accounts be obtained, on the assumption there are some?
Scottish Labour Party election expenditure—briefing
note (undated, but assumed to be May/June 1998).
Some points:
- The briefing note makes it clear that the SLP
knew from the outset that Winslow and Reid were employed by Maxton
and Dr Reid respectively, but it is not clear whey their salaries
were mentioned. The figures for their pay from those sources is
roughly correct.
- It is curious, if the SLP believed that Reid
and Winslow were being subsidised from the OCA, that they did
not set it off against the salary allowance in the budget.
- The notes were apparently compiled by Annmarie
Whyte, who may be able to shed more light on the issues.
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