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MP Questions Minister Over Regional Pay Rates for Court Staff 11 June 2008
Regional Pay Ranges for Court Staff Cause Concern
Questions to the Ministry for Justice.
Jessica Morden (Newport, East) (Lab): If he will make a statement on the introduction of regional pay rates for court staff in Wales. [209545]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Maria Eagle): The new pay system implemented by the Ministry of Justice in 2007, with five regional pay ranges, was designed to simplify the many different pay systems that the Department inherited and to address the problem of low pay across the organisation. More than 95 per cent. of staff have decided to opt in to the deal, and one in four members of staff, the majority in the lowest grades, will see their pay rise by 20 per cent. over the next four years.
Jessica Morden: Will the Minister seriously consider restoring the system of pay scales for staff who live outside London? Not only does the system pay Welsh staff less than those who live in Bristol, Birmingham or Liverpool, but court staff who work in adjacent towns, such as Newport and Cwmbran, are paid different rates for doing exactly the same job.
Maria Eagle: No existing employee will lose out as a result of the new regional pay rate. Those on national rates, including those in Cwmbran and the parts of Wales that my hon. Friend has referred to, can progress to the national plus range. Furthermore, the arrangements provide for an annual review of the pay range allocations to check that they are correct. That will involve trade unions, and I am happy to receive representations from hon. Members who think that they have identified anomalies, because we want to try to make sure that any such anomalies are corrected.