CABINET SALARIES

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 154, 27 March 1937, Page 9

CABINET SALARIES

Text of British Bill Issued (British Official Wireless.) (Received March 26, 6.30 p.m.) Kugby, March 25. The main purposes of the Ministers of the Crown Bill issued last evening are, first, the removal of certain anomalies in the present standing of Ministers by adjustments and alterations in their salaries, and, secondly, a revision of the existing rules as to the alloca-' tion of Ministers between the two Houses of Parliament. It is, therefore, proposed to provide that all Ministers of Cabinet rank should each receive salaries at a uniform rate of £5OOO a year. Provision is also made that when the Minister in respect of whose office a lower salary is payable is included in Cabinet, his salary shall be made up to £5OOO yearly. The position of Prime Minister has not hitherto received statutory recognition nor have any emoluments attached to it. No salary has been paid to Prime Ministers as such, but they have received salary in respect of some office held by them and the office traditionally so held has, with rare exceptions, been that of First Lord of the Treasury. The Bill proposes to give statutory recognition to the existence of the position of Prime Minister and to the historic link between the Premiership and the office of First Lord of the Treasury by providing in respect of that position and office the salary of £10,600 yearly. The Bill further proposes there should be a pension of £2OOO yearly payable out of the Consolidated Fund to persons who have been Prime Minister and First Lord. An innovation proposed by the Bill is the provision for payment of an annual salary of £2OOO to the Leader in the House of Commons of the party in Opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength in that House. The Bill further provides that the salary of a Parliamentary Under-Secre-tary to a Minister receiving £5OOO a year will be £l5OO, and ■where the salary of the Minister is £3OOO the salary of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary will be £l2OO. On the basis of its present composition the increased cost of proposals relating to salaries will be £37,000 yearly. The existing law is that not more than six of the eight Secretaries of State and six of the nine Undersecretaries of State may sit or vote in the House of Commons. The Bill proposes to abolish the distinction between the office of Secretary of State and other offices which carry Cabinet rank, and the effect of the proposals is that at least three of the 17 Ministers named in part one of the first schedule to the Act and two of the 23 Parliamentary Under-Secretaries must sit in th e House of Lords.