Pay rise lifts MSPs up to £61k a year

MSPs are to be given a pay rise, taking their salaries to more than £61,000.

It was confirmed yesterday the salary of MSPs will rise by 1.8 per cent from April.

The increase means Nicola Sturgeon’s salary will rise to £151,269, while cabinet secretaries will earn £108,203 and backbenchers will receive £61,177.

However, Miss Sturgeon has confirmed she and her ministers will take a voluntary pay freeze by instead putting the additional money into a public spending fund.

Conservative MSP Jackson Carlaw, a member of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, told Holyrood’s Finance and Constitution Committee: ‘The Scottish Parliamentary salaries scheme now directly links MSPs’ salaries to public-sector pay rises in Scotland using the annual survey of hours and earnings published by ONS. ‘using this index, I can confirm that an increase of 1.8 per cent will be applied.’

Scottish Greens’ leader Patrick Harvie asked: ‘Are non-MSP staff, people working directly for the parliament, are they enjoying a 1.8 per cent increase as well?’

Officials responded by saying they would be getting ‘about the same’.

The corporate body’s submission to the committee said the pay boost is expected to cost a total of £200,000.

Eben Wilson of the Taxpayer Scotland pressure group, said: ‘It is good to see some restraint from our MSPs. What a pity they let top quangocrats get away with enormous salary and pension payments.’