HIRING FAMILY MEMBERS AMONG FRENCH POLITICIANS

Nepotism is part of French institutional genetics.The sense of entitlement, and indeed nepotism, is an inheritance of the country’s monarchical culture, political experts and historians say. Employing family members bears witness to a culture of caste or oligarchy that makes it absolutely natural for politicians to profit to the maximum from political power.

Hiring family members is both legal and widespread among French politicians. Others hire the wives, children or nephews of colleagues, a mutual scratching that can profit from both sides. The French office for transparency in public life estimates that at least 20% of France’s 577 deputies have at some point paid a member of their immediate family and about 60 senators (out of 348) had done likewise.

Questions that need to be addressed:

1. How many members of the National Assembly and the Senate currently employ family members to work for them?
2. What are the names of the individual members involved; and the names of the family member who works for that member?
3. What is the job title of the family member and what role do they fulfil (ie daily workload)?
4. How many hours per week does the family member work for the member i.e. full time/part time hours)?
5. What is the annual salary paid to the family member employed by that member?
6. Is the family member eligible to submit "expense claims" as part of their job role? If so how much is claimed per individual annually for expenses - on top of their annual salary?
7. What is the TOTAL COST to the taxpayer annually for salaries (including expenses if appropriate) paid to member’s family members?

Members should remain free to employ family members, but only on the proviso that they are subject to the highest levels of transparency about who is being paid how much and for what. This information needs to be readily available for constituents to scrutinise so that they can hold their Member to account and, if appropriate, ask searching questions about the arrangements. Openness and transparency are vital if the public are to be confident that the system is not being abused.