Commons officials given big pay rises

The House of Commons has awarded large pay rises to its most senior officials, some of whom oversaw the MPs’ expenses scandal.

Accounts released yesterday show that the Clerk to the House, Malcolm Jack, received a pay rise of about 11 per cent, taking his salary from £175,000 to £195,000 – more than that received by the Prime Minister.

Mr Jack, who enjoys the use of a grace-and-favour property, also received an increase of benefits in kind, from £20,000 to £25,000. He was in charge of the officials who were attacked for failing to enforce the rules when paying out generous parliamentary expenses, prompting Gordon Brown to criticise the “gentlemen’s club” arrangements.

Andrew Walker, who ran the Fees Office, which administered the expenses, received a rise of about 8 per cent, taking his salary into the £125,000-£130,000 band. Joan Miller, the head of information technology, was awarded the biggest rise, from £95,000 to £110,000 – up 15 per cent.

A senior pay panel reportedly approved the pay rises as others in the public sector see their annual salary rises restricted to about 2 per cent. It is unclear whether the rises were agreed under the Commons speaker Michael Martin, who stepped down after the expenses row, or more recently.