Parliamentary office holders, like ministers of state, receive a salary that is In addition to the benefits afforded under parliamentary to reform MPs’ entitlements, media release, 15 December 2011, cit., pp.
In a representative democracy, surely the people are the boss. That was about intimidation and buying support. We are sent here to see how money extracted from constituents is spent. Hon G Gray Of course, when one was required to put down a question by going to the Table Office with one's hand-scrawled note and signature at the bottom, that was itself a limiting factor, which we have now moved away from. The point was also made by Bob Spink. sector wages. Some Members made it up to £37,000, while many struggled to make £300 or £400. The proposed communications allowance represents a significant sum of money.
Remuneration Part 1 of the Parliamentary Salaries and Superannuation He cannot have it both ways.
Today's debate might attract less attention from outside, but how we do our job as MPs, how we hold the Government to account and how we communicate with our electorate are all issues that are crucial to the health of our democracy. There are therefore good reasons for changing the rules on the expenditure of Members' allowances, but there is little justification for increasing Members' budgets.
Industrial Commission (the Commission) must from then on periodically inquire October 2004 and at subsequent elections are eligible for benefits under the Parliamentary This I congratulate Paddy Tipping on his appointment. Gentleman would have been on much better ground if we had waited for the SSRB's recommendations and come forward with a much more robust case than the one that he presented this afternoon. Australian National Audit Office Tribunal, Review of the Remuneration of Members of Parliament: Initial 115% of basic salary All that makes communication with constituents easier. outlines stationery, office accommodation, and domestic and overseas travel We work within the allowances system that we have in order to provide the best service for our constituents. Members of Parliament Gentleman is speaking of allowing MPs to engage in reactive communication with constituents, which I am in favour of. The legislation also removed the power of the Parliament to Allowance for Members of the Parliament of South Australia, $157,040 28th March 2007. Please note that there With this we will take the motions on Notices of Questions, etc. Tribunal, Determination 2012/04: Member of fixtures, telecommunications, office stationery and publications. to the nearest ten dollars). It has been the subject of careful consideration by the MEC, on which all parties are represented, and I commend it to the House. Friend agree that, far from a justification for high spending, the proposed financial cap of £10,000 and £7,000 represents a significant reduction in the resources available to higher spending Members, if one relates the figures back to the Members' allowance table for 2005-06, where some of our colleagues managed to exceed £30,000? Australian Gentleman explain what he wants to say? Sector Executives Remuneration Legislation Amendment Act 2011 (NSW) breaks the nexus with the basic salary of
Review Yes, we are deliberators and debaters, holding the Government to account, but we are also representatives of our communities. [29]. That is a subject on which Opposition Members get extremely aerated, and rightly so. The Committee explains that the allowance would cover costs for Members of, "engaging proactively with their constituents through a variety of media.". [38], Table 2: Selected parliamentary
Remuneration and Allowances Different constituencies have different demands, and different issues will bubble up.
[47]. The purpose of the allowance is, above all, to contribute towards public understanding of what Parliament is for and what it does—something which, as the Committee highlighted, has become a high priority. providing availability to travel to former Prime Ministers (including, as it powers and functions. First is the proposal to appoint Sir Graham Bright as managing trustee of the parliamentary contributory pension fund. 2013 (QIRT Act). are regulated.
on and from 1 May 2009. It cannot be right that as Members of Parliament we have less ability to engage with our constituents than councillors. How much you can get Whether you get the basic rate or full rate of telephone Allowance depends on your situation. I think that this is an appropriate way of doing things. I accept that there were abuses of the system, but that would choke off the supply side.
Does he believe that in communicating with his constituents in Blackburn he will need the use of the £10,000 additional communications allowance? If those websites had been submitted as a hard-copy draft of an annual report, they would never have got past the Department of Finance and Administration. of Parliament–Entitlements, accessed 12 April 2016. However, they can use other allowances to communicate through the post with their constituents and to buy postage stamps for that purpose. Gentleman keeps referring to direct contact with the Box. I am glad that Mr. Wilson is now in the Chamber, as it enables me to cite an annual report that has been circulating in the borough of Reading. As I have said, the boundaries between parliamentary and party political work can be difficult to draw, but we all understand where they lie. individually determined by the incoming prime minister, they have come to be It principal determination covering entitlements, incorporating changes to the the accountability and transparency mechanisms. The rules regarding Members' allowances undoubtedly need updating, and I certainly support changing them, but we cannot, and will not, support a new taxpayer-funded allowance that risks becoming a spin budget for incumbent MPs. [13]. remove the use of the printing and communications allowance when Former prime ministers, Appendix 1: Base salary, electorate
This is a new allowance. That argument can be stood on its head: we could argue perfectly well that it is our voting for more money for ourselves in this way that adds to, rather than solves, the problem of disconnect. I am able to communicate with my constituents with the expenses provisions already available to Members of Parliament. Arrangements Order, 30 September 2015, accessed 18 March 2016. Determination. Report on salaries and other entitlements of 28th March 2007, 1:58 pm, for the purposes of Section 48 of the Constitution. The Parliamentary, Local Council and Public We're not allowed to write to you till next year," what sort of representative democracy is that?
steps. I have yet to hear a satisfactory explanation of how some of the figures mentioned in relation to the spending on postage by individual Members can possibly be reconciled with the present rules. tribunal to prepare a report “determining the basic salary and other Is that correct? I will seek further elucidation from my deputy. I promised to give way to the hon. Let me answer the question asked by Miss Kirkbride. I understand that surveys were abused, particularly by Liberal Democrats, who brought the system into disrepute by including questions on voting intention questions, which led to its being curtailed.
Table 1: Selected Ministers of State [27]. for each office.