REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON PARLIAMENT STAFF

3.11 p.m.

The Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the motion* standing in my name as it appears on the Order Paper.

• The motion reads as follows:

That this Parliament, noting the Report of the Commission on Parliament Staff as contained in Paper Misc. 1 of 1974, accepts the recommendations of the Commission as contained in paragraph 16 thereof and resolves in accordance with such recommendations.

Honourable Members may be aware from the Report, which was presented to this House as Paper Misc. 1 of 1974, that a Commission consisting of you, Mr Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, the Minister for Finance, the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, and myself, was appointed to study the terms of service of the staff of this House.

The Commission has met and has made certain recommendations as contained in the Report. To attract and to continue to attract good officers to the Parliamentary service, and also in the interest of the present staff of this House, the Commission has considered it necessary to revise the terms of service of the senior posts such as will appropriately equate them, in terms of salary and status, to the rest of the civil service.

The Commission recommended that the three senior posts of the Parliamentary service be restructured as recommended in paragraph 13 of the Report. It is the view of the Commission that, with the restructuring of the two existing promotional posts of Clerk Assistant and Second Clerk Assistant, there will be a wider basis in that serving officers in the Administrative or the Legal Service may be attracted to the Parliamentary service either on secondment or even on substantive appointment.

The Commission did not, however, recommend any change with regard to the post of Clerk, (Grade E) as it is satisfied that the salary attached to the post is sufficiently attractive.

Sir, I beg to move,

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Parliament, noting the Report of the Commission on Parliament Staff as contained in Paper Misc. 1 of 1974, accepts the recommendations of the Commission as contained in paragraph 16 thereof and resolves in accordance with such recommendations.