File n° 15

I. – parliamentary allowance

1. – The different elements of the allowance

The allowance includes three components: the basic parliamentary allowance, the residential allowance and the attendance allowance.

The basic parliamentary allowance is indexed to the salary of the highest-ranking state civil servants. It is equal to the mean of the lowest and highest salary of civil servants in the category “hors échelle” (highest level).

In addition, M.P.s receive, as civil servants do, a residential allowance. This represents 3% of the gross basic parliamentary allowance.

On top of this, M.P.s also receive an attendance allowance which is equal to a quarter of the sum of the first two allowances.

As of October 2008, the gross monthly allowances are as follows:

The basic parliamentary allowance plus the residential allowance but not the attendance allowance, is taxable at the rates applicable to normal income.

2. – Deductions from the allowance

Most such deductions are obligatory and linked to social welfare schemes.

Thus the following must be deducted from the gross monthly allowance :

3. – The capping of allowances linked to local office

In the case of a combination of the parliamentary allowance and allowances linked to other local offices, the principle of a general ceiling was introduced by Institutional Law no. 92-175 of February 25, 1992. An M.P. with local elected offices may only combine the allowances linked to these offices with the aforementioned basic parliamentary allowance within a limit of one and a half times the latter. Therefore, such allowances have a ceiling today fixed at € 2 721.80 per month for an M.P.

II. –  Material means available to M.P.s

Certain individual means have been created to enable M.P.s to carry out their office according to their individual needs.

 1. –  Operational and secretarial expenses

In order to meet the expenses linked to the exercise of their office which are not directly covered or reimbursed by the National Assembly, M.P.s have an operational expenses allowance which increases in line with rises in civil service salaries. As of October 2008, this monthly allowance represents € 5 837 net.

In addition M.P.s may have a parliamentary assistant allocation. Although this allocation is calculated on a basis of three assistants, it may, depending on the M.P., cover anything from one to five people. The M.P. is in fact the employer : he recruits, lays off and fixes both the work conditions and the salaries of his staff.

The allocation allotted to each M.P. is indexed to pay rises in the civil service. The monthly amount of this allocation was € 9 021 as of October 2008.

In the case of non-use of the entire allocation, the remainder returns to the budget of the National Assembly or may be transfered by the M.P. to his political group in order to cover the salaries of those employed by the group.

 2. –  Transport benefits

In order to facilitate rail travel throughout the national territory of France, the National Assembly provides all M.P.s with a non-transferable card which gives them free access to :

- the entire national railway network, in first class seats ;

- sleeping car services linked to travel within the borders of continental France.

For travel within Paris and the Parisian area, the National Assembly has a car-pool of around twenty vehicles. Travel involving official delegations and legislative work is given priority. The pool also provides transport, when possible, to M.P.s when trips are linked to their other obligations and when they must travel to and from the Palais Bourbon within Paris and to airports. In addition, the National Assembly uses Parisian taxis when the car-pool is not able to fulfil all requests.

As regards air travel, the National Assembly covers each year :

For M.P.s from continental France :

- 40 return trips between Paris and the constituency in the case of a regular air connection.

- 6 return trips in continental France, outside of the constituency.

For overseas M.P.s :

- an annual allocation equal to, for M.P.s from overseas departments, the cost of 26 return trips in ‘business class’ between Paris and the constituency and, for M.P.s from overseas territories and territorial collectivities, the cost of 16 return trips in first class between Paris and the constituency ;

- 4 return trips within continental France.

3. – Office and communication means

Furthermore M.P.s have certain other material benefits aimed at making the exercise of their office easier.

A. Office

Each M.P. has an individual office in the Palais Bourbon or in one of its annexes.

B. Computers

M.P.s have the right to training in the use of computers and to a computer allowance. They have access to Internet, to electronic mail and to a certain number of legal and economic databases.

C. Telephone and Fax

All communications to the entire continental France network from the telephones in the M.P.s’ offices in the Palais Bourbon are covered by the National Assembly. This is also the case for all messages transmitted by fax machines available to M.P.s.

The M.P.s may also ask to take advantage of a special communication package which covers, within the parliamentary telephone allowance, the costs of either five telephone lines (land or mobile) and one internet subscription or four telephone lines and two internet subscriptions.

D. Postal Mail

All parliamentary mail, i.e. written by an M.P. in the carrying-out of his office, is covered by the National Assembly.

However, private correspondence as well as correspondence of a general or collective nature (invitations, announcements, business cards, printed matter, tracts, brochures, newsletters etc.) is not covered by the postage allowance.

4. – Food and accommodation expenses

A. Food

There are two restaurants available to M.P.s. within the National Assembly; one is strictly reserved for them and the second enables them to invite guests. The cost is covered by the M.P.s themselves.

B .Accommodation

The National Assembly provides loans for the acquisition of accommodation or an office for use either in Paris or in the constituency. The average amount of such loans provided to M.P.s for a period of 10 years at 2% is € 76,225.

5. –  Other benefits

A. Family Benefit

M.P.s may also receive family benefits which are the equivalent of those paid by the general social security scheme.

B. Allocation for Return to Work

M.P.s who are not re-elected at general elections and who are looking for work may receive an “allocation for return to work”. This allocation is equal to the difference between a percentage (decreasing as time goes by) of the basic parliamentary allowance and all their other income (including their allowances as local office-holders but not their family allowances). M.P.s may receive it for 3 years only. This allocation is financed by a contribution by all sitting M.P.s.

III. – pension and social security scheme

1. –  Social security

M.P.s must be affiliated to the National Assembly social security scheme which was set up by the Bureau in 1948 and is managed by a body made up of the three Questeurs and a representative of each of the political groups. This scheme provides sickness and maternity benefits in kind and attributes a lump sum (or allocations) in the case of death.

2. –  Pensions

The M.P.s’ pension scheme, which was set up by the Chamber of Deputies on December 23, 1904 is funded by a contribution provided by the parliamentary allowance and by a subvention included in the budget of the National Assembly.

Pensions are calculated according to the number of years of contribution although it must be made clear that M.P.s provide a double contribution during their first fifteen years of office.

Pensions rights are opened at 60 years of age. Currently, M.P.s ask for their retirement pension in average at 63 years of age.

The pension is calculated on the basis of the number of years paid within a limit of forty years. The current average monthly pension for an M.P. is € 2400.