| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Learning Units
Baroness Blatch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many learning units will be provided under the Excellence in Cities policy in 1999-2000,
2000-01 and 2001-02; and at what cost.[HL1742]
Baroness Blackstone: We are committed to ensuring that all schools in the target areas have access to a learning support unit. £17 million will be available in 1999-2000 to provide learning mentors and learning support units. We will be discussing the numbers of units that will be provided with the local education authorities and schools concerned, taking into account existing provision. The exact level of funding for learning support units 2000-01 and 2001-02 will be determined in the light of those discussions.
Learning Mentors
Baroness Blatch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Who will employ the mentors referred to in the statement Excellence in Cities; how they will be funded; what their pay scales will be; and on what basis they will be deployed.[HL1741]
Baroness Blackstone: Learning mentors will be based in schools and answerable to headteachers. £17 million of the £350 million we announced for the whole Excellence in Cities package will be available in 1999-2000 to fund over 800 mentors, as well as to provide learning support units.
We will be discussing the detailed arrangements for the pay, employment and deployment of learning mentors with the headteachers' group we are setting up to help take forward work on Excellence in Cities, and with the relevant local education authorities.
Merrywood and Pen Park Schools
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will draw their statement Education: Excellence in Cities of 22 March to the attention of Bristol Education authority, in context of their plans for Merrywood School and Pen Park School.[HL1796]
Baroness Blackstone: The Excellence in Cities programme announced on 22 March applies initially in six target areas only. Bristol is not one of those areas. The principles underpinning Excellence in Cities--focusing on the individual, increasing opportunities and tackling barriers to learning wherever they arise--are applicable in all schools and local authorities.
Scotland: Bridge Tolls and Costs
Lord Selkirk of Douglas asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What would be the cost to public funds to abolish the tolls on (a) the Skye Bridge; (b) the Erskine Bridge; (c) the Tay Bridge; and (d) the Forth Bridge, giving separate figures for each bridge.[HL1616]
What is the annual cost of maintenance of (a) the Skye Bridge; (b) the Erskine Bridge; (c) the Tay Bridge; and (d) the Forth Bridge, giving separate figures for each bridge.[HL1617]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office (Lord Sewel): The costs to the public funds would comprise the toll income foregone on the Erskine Bridge, the Tay Bridge and the Forth Bridge, the future costs of maintaining and operating the bridge and the costs, including redundancy costs, of terminating the present arrangements for the operation and maintenance of the bridges. Estimates are not available for the latter. The toll income and the expenditure on the operation and maintenance of the
bridges, as shown in the accounts to 31 March 1998, are as follows:| Operating Costs £ | Maintenance Costs £ | Toll Revenue £ | |
| Erskine Bridge | 1,556,922 | 304,336 | 4,366,039 |
| Forth Road Bridge | 2,235,073 | 1,356,739 | 8,849,610 |
| Tay Road Bridge | 1,062,000 | 249,000 | 3,190,000 |
As to the Skye Bridge, the accounts for the year to 31 December 1997 show the cost of operation and maintenance at £509,505. The cost of abolishing the tolls would be determined in terms of the contract with the concessionaire. This cost is estimated to be at least £25 million but the final figure would depend upon the outcome of negotiations. The future costs of operating and maintaining the bridge would also fall on the public purse.
Lord Selkirk of Douglas asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Sewel: Usage since the Skye Bridge opened in October 1995 is as follows:
Figures for predicted usage of the bridge are not available. The audited accounts of Skye Bridge Limited at 31 December 1997 show that the company expect the concession to end in 2013, 18 years after the opening of the bridge.
Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Simon of Highbury): I refer the noble Viscount to the Answer given to him by my Noble friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 11 March, Official Report, WA 46.
The Earl of Clancarty asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 17 March (WA 102), when they will report their response to the information currently sought from the six library authorities which are considering service cuts; and what form this response will take.[HL1663]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has already said that he believes that it could be prejudicial to his enquiries to name the authorities concerned.
The Earl of Carlisle asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I understand that the Board of Trustees of the British Museum have announced today that Ms Suzanna Taverne has been appointed as managing director of the British Museum. Ms Taverne will be designated as an Accounting Officer by the departmental Accounting Officer of the DCMS. In this capacity the managing director will be accountable to Parliament for: the propriety and regularity of the public finances for which she is answerable; the keeping of proper accounts; prudent and economical administration; the avoidance of waste and extravagance; and the efficient and effective use of all the resources under her control. In every other respect Ms Taverne will be responsible to the Board of Trustees of the British Museum.
The Earl of Carlisle asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is currently considering whether any changes are required to the statutory provisions relating to the national museums and galleries in England, including the provisions relating to trustee appointments. This forms part of a wider review of the status of the national museums and galleries.
Baroness Hilton of Eggardon asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Jay of Paddington): Two reports from the Review Body on Senior Salaries are published today. One on the initial pay, allowances, pensions and severance arrangements for Members of the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly; and a second on the salaries for Ministers and Office-holders and office support for Members in those bodies, and on certain parliamentary development recommendations outstanding from the Review Body's 1996 Review of parliamentary pay and allowances. Copies are available in the Vote Office and the Libraries of the House. I am grateful to the Chairman and the Members of the Review Body for their work.
The main recommendations of the Review Body with regard to pay in the devolved institutions are:
The Government have decided that they will accept all of these recommendations with the exception of that for the Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland. In view of the unique political situation in Northern Ireland and the joint responsibility which the Deputy First Minister is expected to exercise with the First Minister, the Government believe that there should
be parity of salary between these two posts. Consequently, the salary for the Deputy First Minister will also be £62,556.
In accordance with the Review Body's recommendation on an annual pay review for the salaries in the devolved institutions, these figures will be uprated with effect from 1 April 1999 and annually thereafter by the same percentage as the average of the movements in the mid-points of the nine Senior Civil Service pay bands below Permanent Secretary. This is the same mechanism as is used for Westminster Parliamentary salaries.
On the recommendations on allowances which the Review Body makes in the two reports, the Government have decided that they form a useful starting point for the development of comprehensive and tightly controlled allowance systems within the new institutions. As the Review Body itself acknowledges, it is not yet possible to know exactly what the allowances will need to cover and some of the recommendations themselves point to further work. The Government believe that further work needs to be done on the basis of the recommendations and that this is best done by the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly themselves. We would expect them to put in place as soon as possible an appropriate but closely controlled system, mindful of the need for a prudent approach and the need to justify to the taxpayer any significant divergence from the recommendations made by the Review Body.
In both of the reports on the new devolved institutions the SSRB noted the difficulty of judging the correct level of pay and allowances when the institutions were not yet in operation. In both cases the SSRB recommended an early review, in 2001, which would be based on the evidence of two years of operation rather than on the current basis of the anticipation of roles and responsibilities. The Government recognise the difficulty expressed by the SSRB and fully accept the arguments for a review in 2001.
In relation to Ministers in the UK Government, the Review Body recommends that the salaries for Ministers below Cabinet level in the House of Lords and certain other Office holders in the House of Lords, including the Leader of the Opposition and the Opposition Chief Whip, should be increased as follows:
(5) Increase in line with SSRB recommendation for these and other Ministerial and Parliamentary salaries.
This recommendation reflects the Review Body's finding that, since the 1996 changes to the pay arrangements for Ministers in the Commons, the salaries of these posts in the Lords have fallen behind to an unreasonable extent. The proposed one-off increase of £8,500 is broadly equivalent to the amount by which the MPs' salary paid to Ministers in the Commons was abated prior to the 1996 changes and so restores that relativity. The Government support the arguments put forward by the Review Body that such an increase for these posts is fair and reasonable. We shall be bringing forward a draft order for consideration by each House to implement the recommended changes.
The Review Body also makes a series of recommendations relating to the central provision of IT equipment for Members' offices, both at Westminster and in their constituencies. The Government are not persuaded by the arguments put forward for enforced central provision of such equipment, as this would remove Members' choice in determining what equipment they needed, and how much of the Office Costs Allowance they wish individually to spend on it. The Government agree, however, that there may be cost and other advantages in central bulk procurement of IT equipment for those Members who wish to pursue such an approach. We propose therefore to invite the Information Committee to explore this option further and report its views to the House.
Lord Palmer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Jay of Paddington: Members of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords receive payments to cover "out of pocket" expenses. They receive no other form of payment.
Whether they will publish a graph showing the most optimistic predicted usage of vehicles crossing the Skye Bridge based on current trends and with current arrangements; and what is the earliest time-scale within which the Skye Bridge toll can be ended.[HL1618]
Number of Vehicles
Period to 31 December 1995 77,646
1996 612,145
1997 627,244
1998 655,689
In respect of the Department of Trade and Industry:
31 Mar 1999 : Column WA89
(a) since 1 May 1997 which heads of government, foreign or trade ministers from outside the European Union have requested through their High Commissioners or Ambassadors a meeting;
(b) what meetings have taken place; and
(c) what further meetings have been arranged;
giving in each case (b) and (c) the date of the meeting and the Minister involved.[HL1683]
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 17 March (WA 102), what are the six library authorities which are considering service cuts and from which they are seeking information to establish details of, and the rationale behind, these proposals; and[HL1635]
Whether the managing director of the British Museum, when appointed, will be responsible, in any way, to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.[HL1706]
Whether they have plans to review trustee appointments to the national museums and galleries.[HL1705]
31 Mar 1999 : Column WA90
What is their response on the reports and recommendations of the Review Body on Senior Salaries.[HL1870]
Pay
Members Salaries
Scottish Parliament £39,000
Northern Ireland Assembly £37,000
National Assembly for Wales £33,500
Salaries for Ministers and Office-holders (Paid in addition to a Member's salary.)
Ministerial Salary for First Minister for Scotland, First Secretary for Wales, and First Minister for Northern Ireland £62,556
Ministerial Salary for Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland £47,504
Salary for Ministerial duties in the Executive of the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly £32,451
Office-holder Salary for Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly £32,451
Current Salary Salary after SSRB recommendation Salary from 1 April 1999(5)
£ £ £
Minister of State 53,264 61,764 64,426
Parliamentary Under-Secretary 44,832 53,332 55,631
Government Chief Whip 53,264 61,764 64,426
Deputy Chief Whip 44,832 53,332 55,631
Government Whip 40,547 49,047 51,161
Leader of the Opposition 44,832 53,332 55,631
Opposition Chief Whip 40,547 49,047 51,161
Chairman of Committees 53,264 61,764 64,426
Principal Deputy Chairman 49,052 57,552 60,032
Whether the members of the Royal Commission on House of Lords reform receive payment or other remuneration for their services.[HL1747]
Back to Table of Contents
Lords Hansard Home Page