Our view
any direct link between the Legislative Council members' salary and the civil service pay scale will cause problems in terms of finding a precise point on the pay scale at which to link. Invidious comparisons could also be made with the fringe benefits available to civil servants.
It might, for example, be argued that Legislative Council members are,
in terms of their status and responsibility, at least on a par with policy secretaries and should be paid accordingly. Basing the salary of members on the average middle to senior management pay scales in the private sector would avoid invidious comparisons with senior civil service pay but could lead to questions over the validity of the comparison. On balance, we therefore recommend that the proposed initial salary level for members should be presented that considered as reasonable by the Administration; subsequent adjustment should be by reference to a general index, such as the Consumer Price Index, avoiding the problems of comparison based on civil service pay scale or on private sector pay level.
as
General expenses allowance for Legislative Council Members
14
8
reasons given in paragraph will need to be provided to members after as incentive for members of the public to With a more politicised members, especially
candidates.
Apart from the additional resources the 1991 elections come forward as legislature after the 1991 elections, those who are directly elected, are likely to be keen to set up their own offices to keep in touch with their constituents or the community in general. Some may need to employ their assistants to liaise with their constituents at the district level, or to take on research work.
15
At present allowances for Legislative Council members comprise a number of elements : office rental; secretarial, clerical and office expenses; entertainment; and travelling. We propose to raise them to the following level on a monthly basis -
(a)
secretarial and clerical support
$ 6,000;
(mid-point salary of a
(b)
(c)
(d)
government typist) :
executive support
(mid-point salary of
$14,000;
an Executive Officer II
in Government):
office rental
($289/m2 [average rate] x 30m2):
entertainment, travelling, etc:
total (rounded to nearest thousand) :
$ 8,670;
$ 1,400;
$30,000
=
CONFIDENTIAL