It may be useful to expand on how this proposal would apply to housing benefits. Under present rules, single women (or women who have been divorced, separated or widowed) on appropriate salary points are eligible for quarters, but because of the shortage of quarters it is not thought appropriate to extend this to married female staff. Instead, it is considered that they should be eligible for the appropriate private tenancy allowance at the rate for single women, where the married female officer and/or her husband are renting accommodation. Approximately 300 female officers who are not already living in Government assisted housing by virtue of their husband's entitlement in the Civil Service would be eligible (namely 70 overseas officers and 230 local officers on Point 38 or above). The allowance is only given if certain conditions are met, but the rules may need to be changed to meet the special circumstances of married female officers; for example, it may be reasonable that a single woman officer already occupying quarters should not be deprived of them on marriage. Members are aware that the replacement of quarters and private tenancy allowance for local officers by a Home Purchase Scheme is under consideration. The position of married female staff under this new scheme would be for consideration, but assuming they were eligible, the numbers involved would be considerable.
30/1
The proposal to give married female officers the same benefits as single women would reduce the problem of double benefits, and would make it easier to devise any necessary administrative safeguards against abuse. Mainly for this reason, it could probably be introduced relatively quickly, perhaps within the current financial year.
30/2 The Commission has been informed in confidence of the reservations which the Administration has concerning its recommendations on married female staff and of the proposals being put to this Council. The Commission has been invited to make any additional points on this issue which it would wish to be brought to the attention of Executive Council, so that they could be included in an additional paper to be issued before the meeting, if necessary.
Grades Scheduled in Report No 2
for Further Examination
31
Chapter 9 contains final recommendations on pay scales for individual grades which were identified in Report No 2 as requiring further examination, with a few exceptions on which the Commission is not yet able to make recommendations. Details of the recommendations on specific grades are in paragraphs 9.4 - 9.17.
CONFIDENTIAL #