HL Deb 22 February 2005 vol 669 cc50-1WS
Baroness Amos

My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The 27th report of the Review Body on Senior Salaries, which makes recommendations about the pay of the Senior Civil Service, senior military personnel and the judiciary, is being published today. Copies are available in the Vote Office and the Libraries of the House. The Government are grateful to the chairman and members of the review body for their work.

The main recommendations of the review body for the Senior Civil Service are:

An uplift from 1 April 2005 of 2.5 per cent to the pay range minima and target rates for each of the Senior Civil Service pay bands below Permanent Secretary and a 3 per cent uplift to the pay range ceilings;

Individual base pay awards to range from 0 to 9 per cent depending on contribution with an average award of 4.2 per cent;

The bonus pot to increase by 1 per cent to 5 per cent of pay bill and that the minimum non-consolidated bonus payment to remain at £2,500;

The Permanent Secretaries' new range is to be £130,350 to £264,250;

Further information should be collected on the reasons why senior civil servants leave the service.

The main recommendation of the review body for the senior military is:

An increase from 1 April 2005 of 2.5 per cent in the incremental pay scales for senior military officers.

The main recommendation of the review body for the judiciary is:

An increase from 1 April 2005 of 3 per cent in judicial salaries.

The Government accept these recommendations. Their cost will be met within existing departmental expenditure limits.

Pay increases for Members of Parliament and Ministers are linked automatically to the movement of the mid point of the pay bands for the Senior Civil Service. Their salaries will therefore increase by 2.8 per cent from 1 April 2005.