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Pay bands for 2006-2007

The pay bands and pay ranges for special advisers for 2006-07 are as follows:

Advisers by Pay Band

At 24 July 2006, the number of special advisers in each pay band by department is as follows:


24 July 2006 : Column 91WS
Pay band
Department01234

No 10(1)

—

(2)6

2

(2)13

(2)1

Deputy Prime Minister’s Office

—

1(2)

—

1

—

Cabinet Office

—

(2)2

—

—

—

Communities & Local Government

—

(2)1

(2)2

—

—

Chief Whips’ Offices (Commons and Lords)

—

1(2)

2

—

—

Constitutional Affairs

—

—

—

—

2

Culture, Media and Sport

—

—

1

—

—

Defence

—

1(2)

1(2)

—

—

Education and Skills

—

1(2)

2(2)

—

—

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

—

—

1(2)

1(2)

—

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Includes Minister for Europe and Minister for Trade)

1(2)

2(2)

-

3(2)

—

Health

—

1(1)

1(2)

-

—

Home Office

—

1(1)

—

2(2)

—

International Development

—

1

—

—

—

Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal

—

(2)1

1

—

—

Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council

—

(2)2

—

—

—

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Wales

—

(2)4

—

—

—

Secretary of State for Scotland and Transport

—

—

1

(2)1

—

Trade and Industry(3)

—

1

1

—

—

HM Treasury(3), (4)

—

1

(2)2

1

—

Work and Pensions

—

1

—

—

(2)1

Minister without Portfolio

—

(2)1

—

(2)1

—

Total

1

29

17

23

4

(1 )Plus three special advisers who are paid beyond Pay Band 4 but within the scheme ceiling.
(2 )Includes provisional salaries yet to be agreed.
(3) Plus one unpaid Adviser.
(4 )Plus the five members of the Council of Economic Advisers who are employed on special adviser terms (one in Band 4, three in Band 3, and one in Band 1). One of the members of the Council works part time.

Paybill costs

The cost of special advisers in 2005-2006 was £5.9 million(1)

House of Lords Appointments Commission

The Prime Minister (Mr. Tony Blair): I have today placed the House of Lords Appointments Commission Annual Report for 2004-05 and 2005-06 in the Libraries of both Houses. I am grateful to the members of the Commission for the report and their valuable work.

Advisory Committee on Business Appointments

The Prime Minister (Mr. Tony Blair): I have today published the eighth report of the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. The report provides an account of the work of the Committee in advising former Ministers and Crown servants on the acceptance of appointments after leaving Crown service. The report covers the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006. Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of the House. I am grateful to the Chairman, Lord Mayhew of Twysden, and to the members of the Committee for giving their time and expertise so generously.

Solicitor-General

Public Prosecution Service (Annual Report)

The Solicitor-General (Mr. Mike O'Brien): I have today placed in the Library of the House copies of the first Annual Report of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland and of its business plan for the coming year.

While the new Service was formally launched in June 2005 it initially only took work from the six police districts that make up the PPS Belfast region. It has, however, been planned from the start as a regional service and the last year has seen good progress in rolling out the Service over the whole of Northern Ireland.


24 July 2006 : Column 92WS

In August 2005 the PPS western and southern region assumed responsibility for the conduct of all youth offences occurring in the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Armagh, Banbridge and Newry and Mourne districts as well as all prosecutions from the five police districts within Fermanagh and Tyrone. A new Lisburn office, serving as headquarters of the PPS eastern region opened in March 2006 and will be fully operational by October of this year when it will add a further six police districts to those already within the PPS structure.

The roll out of the PPS will continue through this year and next and when completed will operate from six regional offices planned for Belfast, Lisburn, Newry, Omagh, Londonderry and Ballymena. This regional approach, with each office having its own regional prosecutor, will encourage local involvement with the service, helping the community understand its work and how it goes about reaching decisions and thereby building public confidence in the criminal justice system. The annual report and business plan is part of this process and will be of interest to anyone with an interest in the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland or in criminal justice generally.

Trade and Industry

Central Government Payment Performance

The Minister for Industry and the Regions (Margaret Hodge): The overall payment performance of Government is 96.87 per cent. Figures for the financial year 2005-06 show that there has been a slight fall compared to last year’s figure of 97.09 per cent. Some 54 per cent of Departments improved on their performance of last year.

Government Departments and their agencies are required to monitor their payment performance and to publish the results in their Departmental or annual reports. The table lists, by Department, the proportion of bills paid within 30 days, or other agreed credit period, on receipt of a valid invoice.

The Government take this issue very seriously, and are committed to improving the payment culture in the UK, in order to create fair and stable business transactions. The Government’s own payment performance is an important element in this policy.


24 July 2006 : Column 93WS
Main Departments 2005-06Paid on Time %

Defence Bills Agency (Ministry of Defence)

100

Office of Fair Trading

99.86

Intelligence Agencies (GCHQ)

99.80

Privy Council Office

99.71

Office for National Statistics

99.51

Office for Government Commerce

99.48

Office of Gas & Electricity Markets (OFGEM)

99.46

The National Archives (Public Records Office)

99.31

Health & Safety Executive

99.19

Scotland Office (Department for Constitutional Affairs)

99.11

Office of Water Services (OFWAT)

99.10

Postal Services Commission (PostCom)

98.97

Export Credit Guarantee Department

98.93

HM Revenue & Customs

98.80

Department for Transport

98.71

Charity Commission

98.24

Food Standards Agency

98.18

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

98.09

Forestry Commission

97.98

Ordnance Survey

97.95

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

97.66

Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED)

97.66

Government Actuary's Department

97.54

Land Registry

97.38

Department for International Development

96.76

Department for Education & Skills

96.29

Department of Health

96.19

Treasury Solicitors Department

95.78

Department of Trade and Industry

95.67

UK Trade & Investment

95.35

Electoral Commission

94.91

Office of Rail Regulation

94.89

HM Treasury

94.70

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

94.19

Cabinet Office (OPS)

94.06

Central Office of Information

93.17

Foreign & Commonwealth Office

92.96

Serious Fraud Office

91.46

Department for Work and Pensions

89.79

Crown Prosecution Service

88.96

Wales Office (Department for Constitutional Affairs)

88.64

Department for Constitutional Affairs (Lord Chancellor's Department)

88.48

Northern Ireland Office

86.65

Home Office

86.24

National Savings and Investments

85.49

Royal Mint

84.98

Overall Total

96.87

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