The Assembly,
| VOTE III - Expenditure pertaining to the Assembly | Initial appropriations for 1979Note | Increases in real terms proposed for 1980 |
|---|---|---|
| HEAD XX - Staff | F | F |
| Sub-heads | ||
| Clerk of the Assembly | ||
| 82 - Salary, allowances and social charges | 386 500 | |
| Staff of the Office of the Clerk of the Assembly | ||
| 83 - Remuneration - permanent staff | 7 273 500 | |
| 83 bis - Assembly staffing changes | 98 000 | |
| 84 - Expenses on arrival and departure, home leave | 78 000 | |
| 85 - Overtime and allowances for exceptional duties | 38 000 | |
| 86 - Staff recruited to fill vacant permanent posts on a temporary basis | t.e. | |
| 87 - Remuneration and accessory charges for temporary conference staff | 4 330 000 | 290 000 |
| 88 - Provision for cost-of-living allowance and other adjustments to remuneration | 730 000 | |
| _________ | _______ | |
| TOTAL HEAD XX | 12 836 000 | 388 000 |
| HEAD XXI - Special secretariat expenses and other expenditure | ||
| 89 - Special secretariat expenses and other expenditure | 450 000 | 150 000 |
| _________ | _______ | |
| TOTAL HEAD XXI | 450 000 | 150 000 |
| HEAD XXII - Supplies, services and other operational expenditure (Budgetary package) | F | F |
| Sub-heads | ||
| 90 - Publishing and printing | 770 000 | |
| 91 - Hire of cars | 17 000 | |
| 92 - Representational, travelling and subsistence expenses of the President of the Assembly | 134 000 | 20 000 |
| 93 - Expenditure pertaining to the Private Office of the President of the Assembly | 80 000 | 5 000 |
| 94 - Representational expenditure, other official expenditure and travelling expenses of the members of the Assembly | 167 000 | 15 000 |
| 95 - Official journeys | 378 000 | 30 000 |
| 96 - Consultation of experts | 432 000 | |
| 97 - Organisation of ad hoc conferences | 235 000 | |
| 98 - Other expenditure not specifically provided for in this Vote | 41 000 | |
| 99 - Europe Prize | 31 000 | |
| 99 bis - Council of Europe Museum Prize | 15 000 | |
| 99 ter - Fixed contribution towards the use of a computer | t.e. | |
| _________ | _______ | |
| TOTAL HEAD XXII | 2 300 000 | 70 000 |
| TOTAL VOTE III | 15 586 000 | 608 000 |
1. As already explained in earlier opinions, the changes requested for 1980 are to be regarded as increases in real terms over the appropriations made to the Assembly for 1979.
2. As in previous years, the Assembly leaves it to the Secretariat administration to assess in due course, in the same way as for other sectors of the draft budget submitted by the Secretary General, the adjustments to appropriations still required in 1979 as a result of pay scale changes and their consequences for 1980 and also the provision to be made for pay adjustments in 1980.
3. For these reasons, as in the past, the final estimates for the Head concerning staff expenditure are not shown here.
4. Similarly, it will be for the Secretariat to evaluate the effect of inflation on the other 1980 estimates and adjust them accordingly.
5. The estimates entered here under Head XXII (Supplies and services and other operational expenditure), which constitute the budgetary package, will therefore have to be adjusted before the budget is adopted.
6. The Assembly's estimates for 1980 will thus be determined by the total 1979 Assembly appropriations (including the supplementary appropriations voted in the course of the year), to which will be added :
the increases in real terms requested in this opinion ;
the technical adjustments to be made by the Secretariat as indicated in the foregoing paragraphs .
7. Lastly, it is pointed out that the appropriations under Vote III referred to in this opinion relate directly to the operation of the Assembly and do not cover installations, supplies or equipment.
Sub-head 82 - Remuneration, allowances and social charges in respect of the Clerk of the Assembly
This covers salary, allowances and other charges in respect of the Clerk of the Assembly as provided in Resolution (71) 8 of 26 March 1971, last amended by Resolution (79) 4 of 14 March 1979.
Sub-head 83 - Remuneration of permanent staff
This relates to the staff of the Office of the Clerk of the Assembly (basic salaries, non-recurring and regular allowances, social insurance and pension fund contributions).
The present numerical breakdown of staff is as follows :
| Posts | Secretariat of the Clerk and Deputy Clerk, Private Office of the President | Div. I | Div. II | Div. III | Table Office | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A7 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| A6 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| A5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| A4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | ||
| A2/A3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| B5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| B4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| B3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| B2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | __ | |
| Total | 6 | 9 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 46 |
| Nature of change | Assignment | |
|---|---|---|
| New post, | 1B3 | Secretariat of committees |
| Upgrading | 2 B2 to B3 | Bilingual assistants |
Comments
1. As already pointed out in Opinion No. 88 (1978), the Assembly requested in its opinion on the 1978 budget and in the light of the readmission of Greece and the accession of now three new member states, the creation of an A2/A3 post of committee secretary accompanied by a B3 post of bilingual assistant. However, only the A2/A3 post was created in 1978 and in spite of the insistence by the Assembly in its opinion for the 1979 budget, the Committee of Ministers could not agree to a supplementary B3 post. The Assembly therefore repeats its request for a bilingual assistant which is particularly needed in view of the fact that at least one of the languages of the newly acceded countries should be represented at assistant level in the Office of the Clerk.
2. Furthermore, the Assembly feels that the time has come to repeat its requests dating back to Opinion Nos. 62 (1973) and 70 (1975), by which it asked for the upgrading of two B2 posts to B3, which were mentioned in the last opinion only for the record. Nevertheless, it should be recalled that the Assembly strongly feels that in view of the qualifications and responsibilities required of such staff, especially with regard to linguistic knowledge, all assistants working for Assembly committees should be graded B3.
This sub-head covers :
travelling and removal expenses of the staff of the Office of the Clerk of the Assembly and their families on taking up their duties or on their departure ;
settling-in allowance ;
refund of travelling expenses of non-French staff and their families taking home leave.
Comments
The Assembly requests that the 1980 appropriation be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1979.
This estimate is to cover :
Comments
The Assembly requests that the 1980 appropriation be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1979.
This covers remuneration of staff recruited temporarily to the Office of the Clerk to fill permanent posts which are vacant or not remunerated (long-term illness).
Comments
Since the expenditure will be covered by the transfer of the appropriations available under Sub-head 83, this appropriation only appears as a token entry.
This covers remuneration and social charges for temporary staff (session staff, workshop staff, messengers, technicians, translators and above all interpreters) assigned to the Office of the Clerk during the sessions and meetings of the Assembly and its committees scheduled in the programme for 1980 at the time of drafting this opinion.
Comments
The development of Assembly activities over the last years has made it apparent that the appropriation for this sub-head was totally insufficient. Whilst, in 1977, the appropriation was still adequate, it was, in 1978, short of 280 000 F. For 1979, a similar figure is to be expected due to unavoidable expenditure incurred with the organisation of meetings and only the very special circumstances which left for many months in 1978 and 1979 some posts vacant in the Office of the Clerk enabled the necessary transfers within Head XX. It must, indeed, be realised that the greater number of members sitting in the Assembly and in committees and in particular the now regular participation of Italian members in committee meetings led to an increase in the interpretation costs of 300 000 F from 1977 to 1978. The Assembly therefore requests that this sub-head be increased by 290 000 F.
As customary, the Assembly reserves itself the right to submit a supplementary estimate if it should decide to alter its time-table for 1980 within the statutory limit.
The estimate under this sub-head is to cover adjustments to the remuneration of staff allocated to the Office of the Clerk made after the date of completion of the draft budget (see also Introduction above).
Estimate for 1980 - 600 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 450 000 F
Increase - 150 000 F
This is to cover "miscellaneous expenses incurred by members of the Assembly in the discharge of specific duties for the Council of Europe, such as those for secretariat assistance, documentation and travel" (Resolution (58) 4 of the Committee of Ministers, of 27 March 1958).
Comments
The Assembly appreciates the substantial increase granted by the Committee of Ministers to the Assembly for the operation of political groups in 1979 to which it attaches the greatest importance. However, the allocation has now to be shared amongst a yet again increased number of members who have also by now formed a sixth group, reducing consequently the share of the other five. The Assembly therefore recalls its request made in 1978 of bringing the overall allocation to 600 000 F.
Estimate for 1980 - 770 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 770 000 F
This covers publishing and printing costs relating to :
official Assembly documents, i.e. :
1 200 bilingual copies of the Working Papers for sittings (2 800 - 3 000 pages) ;
900 copies in each official language of the Official Report of Debates (1 200 - 1 400 pages) ;
distribution of reports and documents adopted by the Assembly and its committees and circulation and translation by national parliaments of certain texts adopted.
Comments
The Assembly requests that the appropriation for 1980 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1979.
Estimate for 1980 - 17 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 17 000 F
Hire of cars for the Assembly.
Comments
The Assembly requests that the appropriation for 1980 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1979.
Estimate for 1980 - 154 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 134 000 F
Increase - 20 000 F
These are representational, travelling and subsistence expenses incurred by the President of the Assembly in the performance of his duties :
Comments
The geographical extension of the Council of Europe and the disproportionate increase of travelling and subsistence expenses make it necessary to ask for a further increase of this sub-head. Moreover, the President has the obligation to strengthen the image of the Council of Europe in particular with regard to the direct elections of the European Parliament and to make a greater number of journeys also to non-member countries. The Assembly therefore requests an increase of 20 000 F.
Estimate for 1980 - 85 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 80 000 F
Increase - 5 000 F
Estimate to cover :
Comments
As has been pointed out in the comments to Sub-head 92, an increased effort of travelling has to be undertaken by the President who has necessarily to be accompanied by a member of his Private Office. The Assembly accordingly requests a modest increase of 5 000 F.
Estimate for 1980 - 182 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 167 000 F
Increase - 15 000 F
This sub-head covers :
entertainment and similar expenses incurred by the Vice-Presidents of the Assembly, committee chairmen and rapporteurs ;
travelling expenses and subsistence allowances of members of the Assembly attending meetings of certain Council of Europe bodies (other than sessions of the Assembly and meetings of Assembly committees) on the Council's behalf, or travelling on Assembly business ;
accident insurance premium for members of the Assembly travelling officially at the Council's expense.
Comments
As pointed out in Opinion No. 88, it is the accession of the new member states which implies that more members are travelling more often to more distant places. The representation of the Council of Europe by members of the Assembly is indeed essential to strengthen the Council of Europe's image and should be promoted to a great extent in the coming years. The Assembly asks for an increase of 15 000 F for this sub-head.
Estimate for 1980 - 408 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 378 000 F
Increase - 30 000 F
Official travel by the staff of the Office of the Clerk and other Secretariat staff required to attend meetings of Assembly bodies or accompanying the President or members of the Assembly on special official journeys.
Comments
In spite of all efforts to reduce travelling expenses as much as possible, the appropriation of this sub-head proved insufficient. The explanation for this development lies for one part in the necessity of more travels to outlying countries and for the other to the increased number of members in committees which makes it necessary to send a greater number of officials to meetings. The Assembly feels that an increase of 30 000 F would be appropriate to cover these additional expenses.
Estimate for 1980 - 432 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 432 000 F
This is to cover fees, travelling expenses, subsistence allowances and administrative assistance for experts, including those from non-member states, asked to carry out technical work or called in for consultation by Assembly bodies, either individually or in working parties. It is also intended to finance the scientific co-operation programme launched by the Assembly at the instigation of the Committee on Science and Technology.
Comments
The Assembly requests that the appropriations for 1980 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1979.
Estimate for 1980 - 235 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 235 000 F
This is to cover the organisation of conferences, colloquies, symposia or seminars, including the travelling and subsistence expenses of those taking part, as well as publishing, translation and printing costs (in non-official languages also) and the entertainment and other expenses incidental to those meetings.
Comments
The Assembly requests that the appropriation for 1980 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1979.
Estimate for 1980 - 41 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 41 000 F
Reception service, medals, gratuities for special work, refreshments for night-shifts, etc.
Comments
The Assembly requests that the appropriation for 1980 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1979.
Estimate for 1980 - 31 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 31 000 F
- Europe Prize - 20 000 F
- Expenses connected with presentation of the prize including flags and poles - 11 000 F
Comments
The Assembly requests that the appropriation for 1980 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1979.
Estimate for 1980 - 15 000 F
Appropriation in 1979 - 15 000 F
Comments
The Assembly requests that the appropriation for 1980 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1979.
Token entry
As mentioned in earlier opinions, the Assembly is prepared to be associated, in the form of a fixed contribution, to the use of a computer, for which it has expressed its interest.