Vol. 452 No. 2
8 Miss Harney asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the discrimination, in relation to pay and pension entitlements, against permanent, part-time or half-time town clerks compared to town clerks who are effectively county council permanent staff who moonlight in this capacity; and the action, if any, he proposes to take to remedy this discrimination. [5627/95]
Town clerk posts in borough corporations and urban district councils are full-time positions, normally filled on a permanent basis by open competition conducted either by the Local Appointments Commission, or in the case of smaller urban districts, by the local authority.
Town clerk posts in towns with town commissioners are part-time positions which are filled, at the discretion of the county manager, either by recruitment of a part-time town clerk or by assignment to a permanent officer of the county council concerned of the additional duties of town clerk. Where such additional duties are so assigned, the level of the allowance paid varies, depending on factors such as the population of the town and the functions performed.
The pay levels of town clerks are determined under the relevant conciliation and arbitration machinery, regard being had to Government pay policy. A pay claim under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work on behalf of town clerks is currently being processed under that machinery.
As regards occupational pension entitlements, the local government superannuation scheme applies to local authority officers who are permanent and devote the whole of their time to the service of one or more local authority. The question of admitting staff who do not meet the whole-time requirement to membership of the scheme is also the subject of a current claim under the conciliation and arbitration machinery.
Overall, I am satisfied that no question of illicit activity or discrimination is involved in existing arrangements and that the conciliation and arbitration machinery can be used to resolve any specific claims that arise.
