Following public attacks on high-profile civil servants, FDA General Secretary Dave Penman has called for ministers to do more to defend their officials – or risk undermining the service as a whole.
He told the Belfast Telegraph “it’s time elected politicians stood up to the plate.”
Penman’s comments came after a series of stories attacking Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) Jayne Brady, most recently, a story in the Belfast Telegraph covering an increase in her salary and pension contributions.
The General Secretary said Brady “got the same pay rise as the rest of the civil service – negotiated by trade unions – or that the most senior staff have exactly the same pension scheme as the rest of the civil service”.
He continued: “Jayne Brady runs an organisation of 20,000+ people supporting an elected government. All of the evidence shows that roles at this level are paid significantly more in the private sector, where pay and pension arrangements are routinely far more generous for senior staff.
“Those taking senior roles in the civil service already take a pay cut if they join from the private sector. They do it because they’re committed to public service and want to make a contribution to their country – the very ethos of public service”.
Dave Penman
FDA General Secretary
We are seeing is the constant drip feeding of stories, designed to undermine individuals and the service as a whole… This will do nothing to attract the best talent.
Penman was quoted in Civil Service World highlighting that this issue impacts more than just Brady and the NICS:
“The civil service cannot be isolated from legitimate public interest or criticism, but what we are seeing is the constant drip feeding of stories, designed to undermine individuals and the service as a whole… This will do nothing to attract the best talent from outside the service”.
Penman highlighted that civil servants constitutionally cannot defend themselves, that is the job of elected ministers and it is “time for them to step up to the plate… If they want to attract and retain high quality public servants to help improve and transform public services… then they need to defend them publicly. That’s their job.”
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This week, the FDA attended the 2026 TUC Congress in Brighton. FDA delegates spoke to and moved motions on a range of topics, including the review of the civil service, supporting effective management, accountability and safe contracting in the NHS, and the importance of an evidence-led approach to regulation.
Yesterday, FDA staff and reps attended the 2026 Fast Stream annual Base Camp, welcoming this year’s new joiners to the scheme and sharing the benefits of FDA membership with them.
