Levels of pay for senior staff are controlled by the annual pay award process. Base pay for the senior civil service (SCS) was frozen for three years and the latest award limited base pay awards to an average of 1%. Planned reductions in headcount at senior levels over the spending review period are also contributing to a lower paybill for senior staff. Excluding SCS from arm’s length bodies brought within the Department since 2010, the monthly SCS paybill has reduced from £1,042,725 in April 2010, to £892,966 in April 2013.