Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many ministers in each House receive a government ministerial salary, and how many receive none; and what the total extra cost of paying all ministers the relevant current rate would be.

The payment of ministerial salaries is governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act (MOSA) 1975. To answer these questions, we have treated ministers who hold more than one office (“joint ministers”) but are paid only for one as paid ministers, and therefore have counted only those ministers who do not receive a salary under MOSA.

There are currently 108 ministers who receive a government salary. The current number of ministers in total is 125, meaning that 17 are unpaid, 3 in the House of Commons and 14 in the House of Lords.

If the 17 unpaid ministers were to claim a ministerial salary on the same basis as those who receive a salary the additional sum payable would be £1,146,358 per annum, excluding pension contributions. We have counted the Party Chair, the Rt Hon Richard Holden MP in these calculations, as he is unpaid by the government. He is, however, by convention paid by the party.

Primary legislation would be required to increase the number of ministers entitled to receive a salary to include the 17 ministers who are currently unpaid. Secondary legislation in the form of an Order in Council under the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975 may be used to increase the rate at which ministerial salaries are payable.