MSPs in line for pay rise

Members of the Scottish Parliament are set for their first pay rise in two years, following a pay freeze due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB), which sets MSP salaries, has indicated to the parliament’s finance committee that MSP pay will increase by 3.4 per cent from April 2023 – from £64,470 to £66,662.

MSPs do not vote on their own salaries – instead pay rises are calculated in line with the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) index for public salaries in Scotland.

However, last year, MSPs were set for a 5.1 per cent pay rise, but the SPCB froze salaries due to “the unprecedented pressure on public finances due to Covid 19”.

Scottish Government ministers, on the other hand, have followed a voluntary pay free since 2008/9.