House, Committees of the Whole House, General Committees and Select Committees - Sessional Returns Contents



B  SELECT COMMITTEE STAFFING AND COSTS IN DETAIL

1  Select Committee Staff

Details of the staff serving a particular select committee are set out in their publications.

In many cases, committee staff carry out duties in the service of the House unrelated to their work for a particular committee. For some staff, especially those working in offices other than the Committee Directorate, those duties account for most of their work. This analysis of the staff who served select committees during Session 2010-12 is therefore presented office by office.

NUMBERS AND GRADES OF STAFF SERVING SELECT COMMITTEES

Committee Directorate (excluding Scrutiny Unit)
Principal Clerks (SC)* 5
Deputy Principal Clerks (SC Band 1) 15
Senior Clerks (A2) 18.6
Assistant Clerks (A3) 6
Business Manager (B1)** 1
Operations Manager (B1) 1
Senior Executive Officers (B1) 3
Senior Committee Assistants (B2) 23
Committee Assistants (C) 32.5
Committee Support Assistants (D1) 8.4
NAO Audit Officers on secondment 2
Specialists (A2)9
Committee Specialists/ Inquiry Managers (B1)*** 23.3
Head of Select Committee Media (A1) 1
Media Officers (B1) 5
Secretaries (C)2.9
Sandwich Student2

* The Committee Directorate has four Principal Clerks who have supervisory and management responsibilities. Three of these performed additional functions as Clerks of Select or Joint Committees. The Clerk of Committees is Clerk of the Liaison Committee; one Principal Clerk of Select Committees is the Second Clerk of the Liaison Committee and Clerk of the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy.

** Also acts as Senior Committee Assistant to the Liaison Committee

*** includes some secondees that are not paid for by the House

Vacancies are not included

Scrutiny Unit

The Scrutiny Unit of the Committee Directorate provides specialist help to select committees, mainly but not exclusively in financial scrutiny and the scrutiny of draft legislation. It provides staff members for joint committees undertaking pre-legislative scrutiny of draft bills and supports the evidence-taking role of public bill committees. It has particular expertise in public expenditure, accountancy and the law, but also does other work for committees and the House as resources permit. The Unit carried out 188 tasks for 22 committees in Session 2010-12. It also provided support to the House Savings Programme, the Library Economic Policy and Statistics section and the Palace of Westminster refurbishment project.

The numbers and grades of staff in the Unit as at 1 May 2012 were:

1 Deputy Principal Clerk (SCS 1)

1 Deputy Head of Finance (Band A2)

1 Financial Analyst (Band A2)

2 Specialists on secondment:

  1 Financial Analyst on secondment from the Ministry of Justice (Band A2)

  1 Financial Analyst on secondment from the National Audit Office (Band A2)

1 Statistician (Band A2)

1 Legal Specialist (Band B2)

1 Senior Committee Assistant (Band B1)

2 Committee Assistants (Band C)

1 External Support Manager (part-time) (Band C)

1 Committee Support Assistant (part-time) (Band D1)

Chamber Business Directorate

Journal Office

A Deputy Principal Clerk (SCS 1) was the Clerk of the Committee on Standards and Privileges, supported by a Committee Assistant (Band C). An Assistant Clerk (Band A3) assisted the Clerk of the Committee on Standards and Privileges and was Commons Secretary to the Ecclesiastical Committee. A Deputy Principal Clerk (SCS 1) was Clerk of the Procedure Committee, assisted by an Assistant Clerk (Band A3), and a Committee Assistant (Band C). A Principal Clerk (SCS 2) was the Commons Clerk of the Joint Committee on the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill, assisted by the Clerk and Committee Assistant of the Committee on Standards and Privileges, and a Committee Support Assistant (Band D1).

Public and Private Bill Office

The Clerk of Delegated Legislation (a Principal Clerk, SCS1A) had supervisory responsibility for staff of the Regulatory Reform and European Scrutiny Committees, for the Joint and Select Committees on Statutory Instruments and for the Joint Committee on Human Rights (and for the National Parliament Office in Brussels) up until July 2011 when the post was discontinued and the responsibilities reassigned.

The following staff served the European Scrutiny Committee: 1 Deputy Principal Clerk (SCS1), 4 Clerk/Advisers with specialist experience (Band A2), 1 Assistant to the Clerk (Band B1), 1 Senior Committee Assistant (Band B2), 3 Committee Assistants (Band C), 1 Committee Support Assistant (Band D2). The Committee was assisted by the Counsel for European Legislation (SCS1A) and by an Assistant Counsel (European) (Band A2). One of the Office Support Assistants (at D2) also supported the Joint and Select Committees on Statutory Instruments, and the Regulatory Reform Committee.

A Senior Clerk (Band A2) was Clerk of the Regulatory Reform Committee, Clerk of the Select Committee on Statutory Instruments and Commons Clerk of the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments. The Regulatory Reform Committee was assisted by the Counsel for Legislation (SCS1A), a Deputy Counsel (SCS1), a Committee Inquiry Manager (Band B1) and a Committee Assistant (Band C). The Joint and Select Committees on Statutory Instruments were assisted by the Counsel for Legislation (SCS1A), the two Deputy Counsel (SCS1) and a Committee Assistant (Band C).

A Deputy Principal Clerk (SCS1) was Commons Clerk of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, which was also served by a Legal Adviser (SCS2) (employed jointly with the House of Lords),

1 Committee Specialist (Band B1), a Senior Committee Assistant (Band B2), 1 Committee Assistant (Band C), a Committee Support Assistant (Band D1) and an Office Support Assistant (shared with another Committee and the Departmental Services Office).

An Assistant Clerk in the Public Bill Office (Band A2) was Commons Clerk of the Joint Committee on Consolidation, &c., Bills.

A Senior Clerk in the Private Bill Office (Band A2) was also Clerk of the Committee on Selection. She was assisted by a Chief Office Clerk (Band C) who otherwise provided general support for the Committee Office.

Public and Private Bill Office

A Senior Clerk in the Ways and Means Office (Band A2) assisted the Clerks supporting the Joint Committee on the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill.

Table Office

A Principal Clerk (SCS2) was Clerk of the Backbench Business Committee assisted by a Senior Clerk (Band A2) and a Committee Assistant (Band C).

General

In addition the following staff in the Committee Directorate provided support for the work of Select Committees as a whole, not assigned to a particular committee:

1 Statistician (A2) on loan from Department of Information Services

2 Finance Analysts (A2) (secondees)

1 Assistant Office Manager (Band C)

1 Senior Office Support Assistant (Band D1)

3.5 Office Support Assistants (Band D2)

As at 1 May 2012, twelve members of staff who worked in the Committee Directorate were on maternity leave, 8 were on secondments and 9.2 were on career breaks.

Staff costs for the Committee Directorate including the Scrutiny Unit in Session 2010-12 were approximately £19.7 million.





 
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© Parliamentary copyright 2012
Prepared 14 September 2012