 | 'I am really rather fed up with people who complain about a rather modest increase. ... If pensioners were working 90 hours a week, as I am, maybe there would be more sympathy for your case.' Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, Dame Angela Rumbold, in reply to an OAP's letter concerning MPs' £9,000 pay increase. |  |
| The salaries of Britain's top politicians in 1992 | |
|---|---|
| Prime minister, First lord of the treasury | £76,234 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | £63,047 |
| Secretary for Home Affairs | £63,047 |
| Secretary for foreign affairs | £63,047 |
| Lord chancellor | £106,750 |
| Leader of the House of Commons | £63,047 |
| Leader of the House of Lords | £50,558 |
| Leader of the Opposition | £59,736 |
| The Speaker | £65,008 |
| Ordinary members of the House of Commons | £30,854 |
MPs are notorious for preaching pay restraint to lesser mortals and then voting themselves massive salary increases. Well, they've done it again.
While the pay of public sector workers has been frozen for the fourth year in a row, MPs have voted themselves an incredible 26% pay increase!
Out of Scotland's 72 MPs, only 12 MPs - 3 of the 49 Labour MPs, 5 of the 10 Conservatives and all 4 Scottish National Party MPs - voted against increasing their pay to £43,000 a year.
Those who voted for included 27 Labour MPs, 7 Liberal Democrats and 3 Conservatives.
To see how your MP voted, consult the list below. There were 5 separate divisions and results are included for each. The important division to note is C - increase of pay to £43,000 a year.
Read carefully and judge for yourself whether your MP is worth it.
A - Division No. 191: The Government's recommendation for a 3% pay rise.
B - Division No. 192: Amendment (A. Morris) to add to the SSRB report a back-dated increase in pension entitlement
C - Division No. 193: Implementation of SSRB report (ie increase pay to
£43,000)
D - Division No. 194: Approve increase in Ministerial salaries as
recommended in SSRB report
E - Division No. 195: Decrease the Motor Mileage Allowance as recommended
in SSRB report
F - Division No. 196: Amendment (N.R. Ainger) to bring forward the increase
in the Office Costs Allowance recommended in SSRB report to 1996
Where the vote is given in lower case, the Member concerned acted as a teller for that side in the division.
A B C D E F
LABOUR
Bray Dr JW Motherwell South N Y Y Y Y Y
Clarke EL Midlothian N Y Y Y N Y
Clarke T Monklands West N Y Y Y Y -
Connarty M Falkirk East N Y Y - - -
Dalyell T Linlithgow N Y Y Y Y N
Davidson IG Glasgow Govan N Y Y Y Y Y
Donohoe BH Cunninghame South N Y Y Y - Y
Foulkes G Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley N Y Y Y N Y
Fyfe M Glasgow Maryhill N Y Y - Y y
Galloway G Glasgow Hillhead N Y Y Y N Y
Graham T Renfrew West & Inverclyde N Y Y - - -
Hogg N Cumbernauld & Kilsyth N Y Y Y Y -
Home Robertson JD East Lothian n Y y y y Y
Hood J Clydesdale N Y Y Y Y Y
Hughes R Aberdeen North N Y Y Y Y Y
Liddell HL Monklands East N Y Y Y Y N
Martin MJ Glasgow Springburn N Y Y Y Y Y
McAllion JD Dundee East N Y Y - - Y
McFall J Dumbarton N Y Y Y Y Y
McKelvey W Kilmarnock & Loudoun N Y Y - Y Y
McLeish HB Central Fife N Y Y Y Y N
Moonie Dr LG Kirkcaldy N Y Y - Y Y
O'Neill MJ Clackmannan N Y Y Y N Y
Reid Dr J Motherwell North N Y Y Y Y -
Ross E Dundee West N Y Y Y - Y
Strang Dr GS Edinburgh East N Y Y Y Y N
Worthington AW Clydebank & Milngavie N Y Y Y Y Y
LIBERAL DEMOCRAT
Bruce MG Gordon N Y Y Y Y Y
Campbell WM North east Fife N Y Y Y Y Y
Kirkwood AJ Roxburgh & Berwickshire N Y Y Y Y N
Maclennan RAR Caithness & Sutherland N Y Y Y Y N
Michie JR Argyll & Bute N Y Y Y Y Y
Steel Rt Hon Sir DMS Tweedale, Ettrick & Lauderdale N Y Y Y Y Y
Wallace JR Orkney & Shetland N Y Y Y Y Y
CONSERVATIVE
Monro Rt Hon Sir HSP Dumfries N Y Y Y Y N
Stewart JA Eastwood N - Y Y Y Y
Walker WC North Tayside N Y Y Y Y N
These MPs voted against a pay increase to £43,000 per year:
CONSERVATIVE
Douglas-Hamilton Lord J Edinburgh West Y N N - Y N
Gallie PR Ayr Y N N - Y Y
Kynoch GAB Kincardine & Deeside Y N N - Y N
Lang Rt Hon IB Galloway & Upper Nithsdale Y N N - Y N
Rifkind Rt Hon ML Edinburgh Pentlands - - N - Y N
SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY
Cunningham R Angus East Y - N N - Y
Ewing MA Moray Y - N N - Y
Salmond AEA Banff & Buchan Y - N N - Y
Welsh AP Perth & Kinross Y - N N - Y
LABOUR
Canavan DA Falkirk West Y N N N Y Y
Godman Dr NA Greenock & Port Glasgow Y N N N Y Y
McAvoy T Glasgow Rutherglen N Y N N Y Y
These MPs did not vote on the pay increase to £43,000:
LABOUR
Adams K Paisley North - Y - - - Y
Brown JG Dunfermline East Y - - - - -
Chisholm MGR Edinburgh Leith Y Y - - - -
Cook RF Livingston - - - - - -
Darling AM Edinburgh Central Y - - - - -
Dewar DC Glasgow Garscadden Y - - - Y -
Dunnachie JF Glasgow Pollock - - - - - -
Galbraith SL Strathkelvin & Bearsden N Y - - - -
Griffiths N Edinburgh South N - - - - Y
Ingram AP East Kilbride N Y - - - -
Marshall D Glasgow Shettleston Y - - - - -
Macdonald CA Western Isles - - - - Y Y
McMaster G Paisley South - - - - - -
Robertson GIM Hamilton - Y - - - -
Squire RA Dunfermline West Y Y - - Y Y
Watson MG Glasgow Central - - - - - -
Wilson BDH Cuninghame North Y - - - Y Y
Wray J Glasgow Provan N - - - - -
CONSERVATIVE
Forsyth Rt Hon MB Stirling - - - - - -
Robertson RS Aberdeen South - - - - - -
LIBERAL DEMOCRAT
Johnston Sir DR Inverness, Nairn & Lochaber - - - - - -
Kennedy CP Ross, Cromarty & Skye - - - - - -
No record of how this MP voted:
LABOUR
Maxton JA Glasgow Cathcart Unknown
Of 651 MPs in 1994, less than 10% had no outside financial interests to declare. In 1992, 135 backbench Conservative MPs declared between them 287 paid directorships and 146 paid consultancies. The average payment for such a position is estimated at £10,000 a year, but can go as high as £50,000 a year. Some MPs may receive as much as £300,000 a year from such outside employment. If they speak in a debate then MPs have to declare their outside interests. But they can still vote in any such debates and they do not have to declare interests when asking Parliamentary questions.
In 1995 two MPs were suspended for asking questions in return for money from companies. The punishment had been recommended by an internal committee of fellow MPs - the Commons' Privileges Committee. In evidence to the Nolan Committee - an outside body investigating standards - the current chair of the Privileges Committee has said that it is difficult for his committee to be judge and jury in such matters. There has also been concern that the Privileges Committee voted to hold its deliberations into the two 'cash for questions' MPs in secret.
There has been increasing speculation that Parliament can no longer police itself and that some kind of outside body should help in such matters. The Nolan Committee reported in May 1995 and recommended that
Also, if MPs are not allowed to earn extra money openly some of them may be more tempted to accept secret bribes. MPs should not vote on matters to do with outside interests. MPs could be banned from contributing to any debate or vote on an issue directly affecting a company which pays him/her money. These are the regulations which apply to local councillors. All paid outside interests should be banned. People who believe this say that MPs are supposed to represent the interests of their constituents and the population at large, not give favourable treatment to companies that can afford to 'employ' them. Banning outside interests completely could lead to a need for a substantial increase in MPs' salaries. Also, some have argued that it would lead to fewer people with wide experience entering the House, and more 'career politicians'.
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