Parliament (Joint Services) (Clerks) Amendment Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 20 March 2024.)

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (16:27): I rise to conclude my comments on this piece of legislation, the private member's bill in my name. I do so with updated information, which I was hoping to have had previously but now have to hand, and that is to inform members of this council and of this parliament, when it gets to the other place, of the further situation with regard to employment of clerks of parliaments.

In particular, I wish to draw members' attention to the House of Lords arrangements, where the House of Lords clerk is a fixed term of some five years and, according to the advertisement of the most recent appointment in Saxton Bampfylde, Global Executive Search and Leadership Consulting, the remuneration is set in accordance with judicial group 4. That, as of April last year, 2023, was some £212,351. At the time of the last advertisement it was £192,679 per annum, subject to review annually but set in accordance with the recommendations of the senior salaries review and according to the judicial salaries by salary group, so again an independent process.

The location, of course, would be in the House of Lords in Westminster, should anyone be interested in this position. The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK parliament and one would think, given that it is inextricably linked in our culture with this house, is a good example with which to conclude my remarks. It is made up of some 800 members from a variety of professions and walks of life.

The House of Lords Commission, the House of Lords Management Board and the Clerk of the Parliaments' Office have strategic responsibility for operating and delivering corporate and parliamentary services in the House of Lords. It is a busy administration which supports the house in carrying out its day-to-day duties, is responsible for advising on parliamentary procedure and is politically impartial. It also provides a range of corporate functions from finance and catering to property management and security. That particular job was advertised a couple of years ago now but, as I say, the Global Executive Search and Leadership Consulting information will be most useful for the deliberations of members of this particular chamber.

I conclude with my congratulations to the new minister in the other place, the member for Kavel, Minister Dan Cregan, who now has within his portfolio responsibilities as Special Minister of State, parliamentary reform. I look forward to working closely with the new minister on this and many other important matters of parliamentary reform. I intend to take this bill to a vote in coming weeks and I look forward to further communications with members in regard to that. With that, I commend the bill.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.