9 Sep 2005

Cooks gets no submissions on government pay review

3:15 pm on 9 September 2005

A member of the Cook Island parliament says to date there has been no submission to a select committee on government officials' salaries and allowances.

MP Tangata Vavia says non-government departments usually take issue with parliamentarians being paid more than public servants.

But he says the select committee reviewing the Civil List Act of 1982 has sat for 15 days without receiving any submissions.

Mr Vavia says this is not because the act is flawless.

"I'm not sure if there is many people in the whole of the community made an effort to look at the act. The act is available at all times for members of the public and only those people that want to have some input into it that is coming forward but the general people in the community doesn't seem to be too concerned about it."

Tangata Vavia says the select committee members will be making their own recommendations to Parliament about salaries.

The civil list act recently came under scrutiny when the former prime minister, Dr Robert Woonton claimed his clothing allowance after last year's elections, but was not sworn into Parliament.