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You are here: Members and staff > Lords Publications > Staff Handbook
House of Lords Staff Handbook Seventeenth Edition

CHAPTER 3: PAY, ALLOWANCES AND EXPENSES

Introduction

3.1. The payment of salaries, wages and allowances, after necessary deductions, is carried out by the Finance Department on the authorisation of the Director of Human Resources. House of Lords pay is "broadly in line" with pay in the Civil Service and the House of Commons.

Pay

3.2. The pay of all staff other than that of the Housekeepers is related to performance. Four schemes apply: one for senior staff; one for Fast Stream clerks and Library clerks below the former Grade 7; one for all other staff except catering grades; and one for catering grades.

3.3. Any questions about entitlement to pay and allowances should be addressed to the Human Resources Office. All other questions should be addressed in the first instance to the Finance Department.

Senior staff

3.4. Senior staff (formerly Grade 5 and above), other than the Clerk of the Parliaments, are paid in line with the Pay Bands in use in the Senior Civil Service. The allocation of staff to pay bands is by jobweight and four bands (Bands 1, 1A, 2 and 3) have been selected for use in the House of Lords. Pay progression between the minimum and maximum payable in these bands is by fixed percentages, subject to performance as measured in annual appraisals. There is also a non-consolidated bonus system. The pay budget available to fund pay awards is determined annually by reference to Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) recommendations for the Senior Civil Service.

Fast Stream and Library clerks

3.5. Fast Stream clerks and Library clerks below the former Grade 7 (A2) are paid according to a series of fixed pay points for the first four years following appointment. They are progressed twice a year, on the anniversary of appointment, and on receipt of a satisfactory annual appraisal.

Catering grades

3.6. For catering grades pay progression to the span maximum is by percentage increases and a performance element as measured in annual appraisals.

Grades A-D

3.7. Other staff outside the catering grades (formerly Grade 6 and below) are paid according to eight pay spans arranged over four broad pay bands (Bands A to D). Posts have been allocated to spans according to jobweight. Pay progression between the minimum and maximum of each span is by spine points.

Pay negotiations

3.8. The current pay deal agreed with the TU side for spans A-D ends on 31 March 2009. Details of the new pay agreement will be negotiated with the TUS in the usual way and notified to all staff. For the Refreshment Department pay negotiations are also held between management and the Trade Union Team to determine the overall value of the pay settlement and hence the size of the respective performance pay budgets available for distribution under the foregoing methods of pay progression. At these negotiations, span minima and maxima are also agreed. (Uprating of senior staff pay bands is carried out by reference to SSRB recommendations.) The pay settlement date for all grades except Fast Stream clerks and Library clerks is 1 April.

Monthly pay

3.9. Staff on annual salaries are paid monthly, in arrears, one twelfth of their gross annual salary less income tax, superannuation contributions where appropriate, national insurance and any other authorised deductions. Salaries are normally credited direct to a bank account. Payment of salaries is normally made on the last working day of the month. A pay advice slip is issued, showing details of payments and deductions. Staff requiring their pay slips to be sent through the post in recesses are requested to notify the Finance Department and provide stamped addressed envelopes where necessary.

Weekly pay

3.10. Members of staff on weekly wages are paid in arrears the gross weekly pay including overtime less the deductions described in paragraph 3.14. The net amount is normally paid fortnightly by cheque and a pay advice slip giving details of payments and deductions is included with pay. The working week ends on Friday and wages are paid on that day. In the case of catering staff working less than five days a week payment is made on their last working day in the week. Catering staff may receive up to three weeks' wages in advance prior to a recess, subject to all three weeks falling in the same financial year. During the summer recess further weekly or fortnightly payments may be posted to a home address, collected in person between 10 a.m. and 12 noon each Friday from the Finance Department, or held until the re-opening of the Refreshment Department.

Overpayments

3.11. Every effort is made to ensure that staff are paid the correct salary and allowances. Occasionally, however, errors occur and it is the responsibility of staff to draw the attention of the Finance Department to any discrepancies. In particular, overpayments must be declared as soon as they are detected. Overpayments received in good faith will be recovered at a rate convenient to the recipient over a period not exceeding one year unless the overpayment took place over a longer period, in which case the repayment period may be longer. Failure to disclose an overpayment once detected by the recipient could result in a disciplinary charge.

3.12. Any case where an overpayment of a tax-free allowance (advance of salary, outfit allowance, subsistence allowance) cannot be recovered and is written off, may be reported to the Inland Revenue.

Compensation - repayment of pay following an accident

3.13. If a member of staff receives compensation from an outside source as the result of an accident, they will be expected to repay to the House the amount of pay they received while absent on sick leave following the accident, providing the amount of compensation covers this.

Voluntary deductions from pay

3.14. In addition to the statutory deductions from pay, e.g. income tax, national insurance and superannuation contributions, which the Finance Department are required to make, staff may also arrange to have voluntary deductions made from their pay to meet other contributions or subscriptions, e.g. to recognised trade unions, to charities through the "Give As You Earn" scheme, and to certain benevolent funds and societies, etc., including some of those listed in paragraphs 7.17-18; 7.20 and 7.22.

Advances of pay before Christmas

3.15. It is normally possible for eligible staff to receive an advance of pay immediately before Christmas. A notice concerning this is put on the Staff Notice Boards at the appropriate time and details are available from the Finance Department.

Allowances

Accountancy Allowances

3.16. Staff with the relevant accountancy skills are paid special allowances in recognition of those skills.

Deputising Allowance

3.17. Staff may receive additional payments for deputising in cases where they undertake the duties of a vacant or temporary post in a higher pay span, or of a member of staff in the higher span who is absent for reasons not associated with the duties of the post. Such payments will be made only where it is not appropriate for the duties to be shared among other staff or left to await the return of the absent member of staff. Payments will not normally be made for periods of deputising amounting to less than six consecutive working days. The payments will take the form of either an allowance or temporary promotion terms.

3.18. Where an allowance is paid it will be 8 per cent of the band maximum for the lower span. It will not reckon for the calculation of overtime or starting pay on promotion, but will be pensionable. For part-time deputising a lower allowance may be paid.

3.19. When a period of deputising ends, the member of staff concerned reverts to his or her own job and to the normal rate of pay in the substantive pay span.

Recruitment and Retention Allowance

3.20. Since 1 April 1997 the Recruitment and Retention Allowance formerly payable to staff for locational reasons, i.e. for living in London, has been consolidated into basic pay. Under the Pay and Grading Agreement the Human Resources Office retains the discretion to offer an allowance to meet recruitment and retention problems only.

Overtime and night duty payments

Annual Night Allowance

3.21. Duties in connection with sittings of the House require some staff to work late on a regular basis. With the exception of Refreshment Department staff, these staff receive Annual Night Allowances. A common feature of these allowances is that they are calculated by reference to the annual average sitting hours of the House over the preceding five years. The allowances are recalculated on 1 April each year. Other staff may continue to receive overtime and other payments in respect of late working.

Authorised hours

3.22. For the purpose of payment of overtime, night duty allowances, and Saturday premium payments, "authorised hours" means the time authorised to be worked by the Head of Office. For staff other than catering grades in the case of payment of overtime and night duty allowances for late night duty connected with sittings of the House, "authorised hours" is interpreted as meaning up to 30 minutes after the time the House rises, payment being calculated for the week to the nearest quarter of an hour.

Overtime

3.23. With the exception of catering grades and staff undertaking duties connected with sittings of the House, all overtime worked must be authorised in advance by the Head of Office.

3.24. Calculations for overtime are based on an hourly rate based on the basic pay of the individual staff member. It is payable for staff up to and including C2 level at the rate of time and a half for "authorised hours" worked in excess of normal hours of work. To others it is paid at plain time.

3.25. In certain circumstances an enhancement called night duty allowance and a meal allowance are payable. Following the introduction of Night Allowances for staff regularly engaged in night work, payment of night duty and meal allowances is likely to be rare but the basis of payment would be as follows:

Night duty allowance is an enhancement of overtime and is calculated on basic pay at the rate of 25 per cent for authorised hours worked between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. and 33 per cent for authorised hours worked between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

A meal allowance is payable when the House rises after 7.30 p.m. at a fixed rate to staff. An additional meal allowance is payable to staff unable to return home to sleep by reason of a very late sitting.

3.26. These rules do not apply to Doorkeepers, Clerical and Executive grades (except in the Refreshment Department), Attendants, Hansard reporting and editorial staff, Refreshment Department staff, and Clerks and other senior staff, to whom different overtime provisions apply.

Saturday payments

3.27. Certain staff may be required to be on duty on Saturdays. Payment for work on Saturdays is calculated at a 50 per cent premium over the basic hourly rate and is payable whether authorised hours worked on Saturdays are within, or in excess of, conditioned hours.

  Overtime in the Refreshment Department

3.28. All catering grade staff may be required to work overtime depending on the requirements of the Refreshment Department. If staff work in excess of 41 hours net in a week, overtime is calculated at the rate of time and a half. Payment for work on Saturdays is at the rate of double time for staff who have worked full time conditioned hours during the week concerned and at time and a half for those who have not, irrespective of grade.

Expenses

Staff travel and subsistence

3.29. Staff who in connection with their work incur expenses from travelling to and from destinations other than the House of Lords, spending time away from the House, and/or staying overnight away from home may be reimbursed in accordance with the provisions of Appendix F.

Travel Emergencies Payments

3.30. It may be possible to reimburse members of staff the cost of travelling in to work during times of transport disruption. Application should be made to the Human Resources Office and should include confirmation by the Head of Office that the claimant attended and that the attendance was necessary.

Compensation for disrupted, cancelled or delayed holidays

3.31. Staff may claim reimbursement of any financial losses which they incur if they are recalled from holiday, or their holidays have to be cancelled or delayed, because:

(1)  there is a recall of the House or a General Election; or

(2)  the House sits during a week when it was expected to have been in recess.

Claims must be submitted to the Head of Office concerned for transmission to the Human Resources Office if approved. The arrangements apply only to holidays booked with the knowledge and consent of the Head of Office concerned. They will not normally apply to:

(3)  holidays beginning before the second Monday in August or ending after the end of September;

(4)  holidays beginning before Christmas Eve or ending after 8 January;

(5)  holidays in the Easter or Spring Bank Holiday recesses; and

(6)  holidays outside Europe except in very exceptional circumstances and only if the person concerned is personally recalled by or on behalf of the Head of Office with the sanction of the Clerk of the Parliaments or an official deputising for the Clerk of the Parliaments.

Compensation for damage to personal property

3.32. The Human Resources Office has a small amount in its budget to cover the cost of compensating members of staff for loss or damage to their personal property. Application should be made through the member of staff's Head of Office and should be accompanied by an estimate of the amount claimed. A receipt will be required in due course.

 
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