Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above, (b) at and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Data for DCLG covers annual pay remit years for all staff eligible for a pay award. This does not include pay adjustments on promotion or new appointees not eligible for a pay award.

Pay remits, which are drawn up in accordance with HMT guidelines to reflect an average 1 per cent spend, are signed off by the Secretary of State for delegated grades AO – G6. Pay awards for SCS staff are made in accordance with SSRB guidelines, overseen by the Cabinet Office

Data for 2014/15 includes contractual buy-out payments made in excess of 1 per cent as part of the Department’s pay reform exercise to move people off guaranteed pay progression.

It was agreed as part of the second phase of Pay Reform in 2015/16 that additional contractual obligations could be funded outside of the 1 per cent. Salary increases below 1 per cent include part consolidated pay awards where the person was less than 1 per cent from the maximum of the pay range. In 2015/16 very few employees on legacy terms were due contractual milestones, so funds could be targeted at those on the new reformed terms, giving them slightly above the 1 per cent.

Data for 2016/17 shows a limited number of staff receiving more than 1 per cent which includes uplifts to the new minima of pay ranges where these were increased by more than 1 per cent; and it includes transitional arrangements for Administrative Officers with adjustments greater than 1 per cent It also includes the SCS pay awards ranging from 0.7 per cent up to 2.3 per cent, in accordance with the SSRB guidelines, with an overall spend of 1 per cent of SCS paybill.

Salary increases shown do not include contractual milestones to those few employees who remain on legacy terms.