COMMITTEE FOR FINANCE AND PERSONNEL

COMMITTEE MOTIONS

Senior Civil Service Pay and Bonuses

News Release 11th June 2009

DODDS ANNOUNCES REVIEW OF SENIOR CIVIL SERVICE PAY AND BONUSES

Finance Minister, Nigel Dodds, today announced that he is to commission an independent review of the future pay and bonus system for senior civil servants in Northern Ireland.

In making his announcement the Minister said: “There has been a great deal of public comment over recent months about public sector pay generally, and senior civil service pay in particular. The Assembly’s Committee for Finance and Personnel has been looking at the issue of senior civil service pay and bonuses and I have exchanged correspondence with the Committee Chairman on the issues.

"Interest in such matters is inevitable against the background of the difficult economic climate and the position of other employees, particularly in the private sector. The present pay arrangements for senior civil servants in Northern Ireland reflect the system that has operated for these staff in Great Britain since 2002, which includes a mandatory bonus system. There has been a recent review of the reward strategy for senior civil servants in Great Britain. I think therefore that now is the right time for the devolved administration in Northern Ireland to conduct its own independent review of future pay arrangements for its senior civil servants.

"I will want the review to look at comparisons with pay and reward systems for similar jobs in the wider public sector, as well as in the private sector. The review should also look at planned developments in the senior civil service in Great Britain as well as the views and role of the Senior Salaries Review Body, which makes recommendations on the remuneration of a range of other senior public servants across the UK.

"I have asked my officials to bring forward early proposals for the scope of a review and for how it should be carried out. I believe it will be important that the review should be carried out by external, independent experts.”

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