Attack on permanent secretary pay is unfair and ill-informed - 16 June 2006

Responding to an attack in today's Belfast Telegraph on pay for permanent secretaries in the Northern Ireland Civil Service, FDA general secretary Jonathan Baume said:

"This attack on the pay of Nigel Hamilton and other Northern Ireland Civil Service permanent secretaries is unfair and ill-informed. It displays an ignorance of how the pay levels are set, which is a matter of public record. It is unfair because the Belfast Telegraph is well aware that Senior Civil Servants are unable to publicly respond to such attacks.

"Permanent secretaries in Northern Ireland are paid the same rates as those applying to permanent secretaries across the UK. These pay levels and annual increases are determined each year by the Senior Salaries Review Body, an independent pay review body established by the UK Government. The review body receives evidence from the FDA and from the Government in preparing its recommendations. It also sets the pay levels for all other members of the Senior Civil Service across the United Kingdom.

"The Northern Ireland Civil Service has a budget of more than £10 billion and employs more than 30,000 people. The head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service and his senior colleagues undertake very difficult and challenging roles and they deserve a fair salary commensurate with their responsibilities. The salaries paid to permanent secretaries are modest in comparison to salaries available elsewhere in the public sector, never mind the private sector."

Notes for Editors
1. The FDA is the trade union and professional body representing the UK's 16,000 senior civil and public servants. Our members include policy advisors, senior managers, tax inspectors, economists, statisticians, accountants, special advisers, government lawyers, diplomats, crown prosecutors and NHS managers.
2. The FDA should be referred to simply as "The FDA" and can be described as "the senior civil and public servants' union" or something similar.
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