The Assembly,
| VOTE III - Expenditure pertaining to the Assembly | Initial appropriations for 1980 [2] | Increases in real terms proposed for 1981 |
|---|---|---|
| HEAD XX - Staff | F | F |
| Sub-heads | ||
| 86 - Salary, allowances and social charges of the Clerk of the Assembly | 426 500 | |
| 87 - Remuneration of permanent staff | 8 193 000 | |
| 87 bis - Assembly staffing changes | 122 000 | |
| 88 - Expenses on arrival and departure, home leave | 92 000 | |
| 89 - Overtime and allowances for exceptional duties | 41 000 | |
| 90 - Staff recruited to fill vacant permanent posts on a temporary basis | t.e. | |
| 91 - Remuneration and accessory charges for temporary conference staff | 5 098 000 | 500 000 |
| 92 - Provision for cost of living allowance and other adjustments to remuneration | 1 291 000 | |
| TOTAL HEAD XX | 15 141 500 | 15 141 500 |
| HEAD XXI - Special Secretariat expenses and other expenses | ||
| 93 - Special Secretariat expenses and other expenses | 485 000 | 165 000 |
| HEAD XXII - Supplies, services and other operational expenditure (Budgetary package) | F | F |
| Sub-heads | ||
| 94 - Publishing and printing | 839 000 | 261 000 |
| 95 - (see Sub-head 102) | ||
| 96 - Representational, travelling and subsistence expenses of the President of the Assembly | 160 000 | |
| 97 - Expenditure pertaining to the Private Office of the President of the Assembly | 92 000 | |
| 98 - Representational expenditure, other official expenditure and travelling expenses of the members of the Assembly | 190 000 | |
| 99 - Official journeys | 450 000 | 50 000 |
| 100 - Consultation of experts | 450 000 | |
| 101 - Organisation of ad hoc conferences | 254 000 | |
| 102 - Other expenditure not specifically provided for in this Vote and hire of cars | 13 000 | 6 000 |
| 41 000 | ||
| 103 - Europe Prizes | 50 000 | |
| 104 - Fixed contribution towards the use of a computer | t.e. | |
| TOTAL HEAD XXII | 2 539 000 | 317 000 |
| TOTAL VOTE III | 18 165 500 | 1 104 000 |
the increases in real terms requested in this opinion ;
the technical adjustments to be made by the Secretariat as indicated in the foregoing paragraphs.
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 (80) 4, of 27 March 1980.
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 | 3 | 2 | 7 | ||
| A2/A3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 12 |
| B5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| B4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| B3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| B2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 6 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 46 |
| Nature of change | Assignment | |
|---|---|---|
| New post | 1B3 | Secretariat of committees |
| Upgradings | ||
| - requested | 1 A5 to A6 | Table Office |
| - Pro memoria | 2 B2 to B3 | Bilingual assistants |
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.
The Assembly requests that the 1981 appropriation be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1980.
This estimate is to cover :
The Assembly requests that the 1981 appropriations be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1980.
This covers remuneration to staff recruited temporarily to the Office of the Clerk to fillpermanent posts which are vacant or not remunerated (long-term illness).
Since the expenditure will be covered by the transfer of the appropriations available under Sub-head 87, this appropriation appears only 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 1981 at the time of drafting this opinion.
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 1981 | 650 000 F | |
| Appropriation in 1980 | 485 000 F | |
| Increase | 165 000 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). The appropriation is allocated to the political groups of the Assembly according to a key of apportionment decided upon by the Bureau of the Assembly.
As pointed out in paragraph 5 of this opinion, the Assembly deplores that the Committee of Ministers did not see fit to increase the appropriation under this subhead. As a result, political groups will not be in a position to achieve even the more modest among their
aims, nor will they be able to carry out all the programmes planned for 1980. In order to make up for the increase of 35 000 F granted for 1980, which in fact does not even meet current inflation, the Assembly is of the opinion that for 1981 the overall allocation should be brought to at least 650 000 F, so as to represent a sufficient increase in real terms.
| Estimate for 1981 | 1 100 000 F |
| Appropriation in 1980 | 839 000 F |
| Increase | 261 000 F |
This covers publishing and printing costs relating to :
official Assembly documents, i.e. :
1 200 bilingual copies of the documents (Working Papers) (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.
Again, experience has shown that the appropriation for this sub-head has not been by any means sufficient. In 1979, the shortfall was over 280 000 F, and only thanks to the circumstances described under the section on Sub-head 91 above was it possible to effectuate transfers within Vote III and thereby compensate for the shortfall in question. Given that this expenditure, too, is of an unavoidable character, the Assembly asks for an increase of 261 000 F in real terms.
| Appropriation in 1980 | 13 000 F |
Hire of cars for the Assembly.
The exact needs of the Assembly for the purpose of this sub-head may vary considerably from one year to another, depending on the number of high personalities who visit the Assembly. It is, therefore, proposed that this appropriation be included in Sub-head 102 ("Other expenditure not specifically provided for in this Vote"), to allow for greater flexibility.
| Estimate for 1981 | 160 000 F |
| Appropriation in 1980 | 160 000 F |
These are representational, travelling and subsistence expenses incurred by the President of the Assembly in the performance of his duties :
The Assembly requests that the appropriation for 1981 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1980.
| Estimate for 1981 | 92 000 F |
| Appropriation in 1980 | 92 000 F |
Estimate to cover :
The Assembly requests that the appropriation for 1981 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1980.
| Estimate for 1981 | 190 000 F |
| Appropriation in 1980 | 190 000 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.
The Assembly requests that the appropriation for 1981 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1980.
| Estimate for 1981 | 500 000 F |
| Appropriation in 1980 | 450 000 F |
| Increase | 50.000 F |
Official travel by the staff of the Office of the Clerk and other Secretariat staff required to attend meetings of Assembly bodies.
The Assembly appreciates that this appropriation has been considerably increased from 1979 to 1980 but observes that in spite of efforts to limit travelling expenses to a minimum, the appropriation was short of 134 000 F. As mentioned in Opinion No. 92, this situation can be explained partly by the need to travel more to peripheral countries, partly by the disproportionate rise in travelling costs in and outside Europe. Furthermore, as has already been mentioned in the comments to Sub-head 91, the yearly four-day mini-session, which today provides the only alternative to a further part-session, costs in itself approximately 75 000 F. The Assembly therefore asks for an increase of 50 000 F under this sub-head for 1981.
| Estimate for 1981 | 450 000 F |
| Appropriation in 1980 | 450 000 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 cooperation programme launched by the Assembly at the instigation of the Committee on Science and Technology.
The Assembly requests that the appropriations for 1981 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1980.
| Estimate for 1981 | 254 000 F |
| Appropriation in 1980 | 254 000 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.
The Assembly requests that the appropriations for 1981 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1980.
| Estimate for 1981 | 60 000 F | |
| Appropriation in 1980 | 41 000 F | |
| + 13 000 F | 54 000 F | |
| Increase | 6 000 F |
Refreshments for staff on night duty, hire of cars, gratuities for special work, medals, flags and poles, etc.
The appropriation for this sub-head has not changed since 1979 and is now insufficient, especially as the expenditure for flags and poles is no longer borne by the Directorate of Press and Information. Savings under other sub-heads have, however, in the past allowed for certain compensation. The Assembly, on the one hand, would therefore ask that the hire of cars be included under this sub-head and, on the other, considers that an increase of 6 000 F would be necessary to cover the above-mentioned additional expenses.
| Estimate for 1981 | 50 000 F |
| Appropriation in 1980 | 50 000 F |
a. Europe Prize ;
b. Council of Europe Museum Prize ;
c. Expenses connected with the presentation of the prizes, including dinners, receptions, flowers, diplomas, insurances, etc.
The Assembly requests that the appropriation for 1981 be maintained at the same level in real terms as for 1980.
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.