Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975

The Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975 (c. 27) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that governs the salaries of ministerial and certain other political offices in the UK.

Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act to consolidate the enactments relating to the salaries of Ministers and Opposition Leaders and Chief Whips and to other matters connected therewith.
Citation1975 c. 27
Territorial extent United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent8 May 1975
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

In 2003, a joint public bill committee deemed the act one of "the fundamental parts of constitutional law..."[1]

Salaries

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The act also sets out the salaries of government ministers, government whips, opposition leaders and whips and the speakers of the two houses of Parliament, as set out below:[2][3][Note 1]

Government ministers

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Salary Office Claimed salary
(April 2020)
MP Not MP MP Peer
£76,762 Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury £75,440 N/A
£68,827 Chancellor of the Exchequer £67,505 N/A
£68,827 £101,038 Lord Chancellor £67,505 N/A
Secretary of State £67,505 N/A
Cabinet members who hold the offices of: £67,505 £104,360
£33,002 £78,891 Non-cabinet members who hold the offices of:
  • Lord President of the Council,
  • Lord Privy Seal,
  • Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,
  • Paymaster General,
  • Chief Secretary to the Treasury or
  • Minister of State
£31,680 £81,485
Ministers in charge of government departments who are not a member of the cabinet and who are not eligible for a salary under any other part of the act N/A N/A
Financial Secretary to the Treasury £31,680 N/A
£23,697 £68,710 Parliamentary Secretary (other than Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury) £22,375 £70,969
Law Officers
Salary Office Claimed salary
(April 2020)
MP Not MP MP Peer
£95,772 £105,699 Attorney General for England and Wales £94,450 N/A
£59,248 £91,755 Solicitor General for England and Wales £57,962 N/A
Advocate General for Scotland N/A £94,772

Government whips

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House of Commons
Salary Office Claimed salary
(April 2020)
£68,827 Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (if the office holder is a member of the cabinet) £31,680
£33,002 Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (if the office holder is not a member of the cabinet)
Treasurer of Her Majesty's Household £31,680
£19,239 Comptroller of Her Majesty's Household £17,917
Vice-Chamberlain of Her Majesty's Household £17,917
Junior Lord of the Treasury £17,917
Assistant Whip, House of Commons £17,917
House of Lords
Salary Office Claimed salary
(April 2020)
£78,891 Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms £81,485
£68,710 Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeoman of the Guard £70,969
£63,537 Lord in Waiting £65,625

Opposition leaders and whips

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Salary Office
MP Not MP
£63,098 £68,710 Leader of the Opposition
£33,002 £63,537 Chief Opposition Whip
£19,239 N/A Assistant Opposition Whip

Speakers in the House of Commons and the House of Lords

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Salary Office
£75,776 Speaker of the House of Commons
£101,038 Lord Speaker

Limits

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The act explicitly imposes numerical limits over one on the following ministerial salaries:[4]

Offices Limit
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury 21
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State[Note 2]
Lord President of the Council (if a member of the Cabinet)
Lord Privy Seal (if a member of the Cabinet)
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (if a member of the Cabinet)
Paymaster General (if a member of the Cabinet)
Chief Secretary to the Treasury (if a member of the Cabinet)
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (if a member of the Cabinet)
Minister of State[Note 2] (if a member of the Cabinet)
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury 50
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State[Note 2]
Lord President of the Council
Lord Privy Seal
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Paymaster General
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
Minister of State[Note 2]
Ministers in charge of government departments who are not a member of the cabinet and who are not eligible for a salary under any other part of the act
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury 83
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State[Note 2]
Lord President of the Council
Lord Privy Seal
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Paymaster General
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
Minister of State[Note 2]
Ministers in charge of government departments who are not a member of the cabinet and who are not eligible for a salary under any other part of the act
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Parliamentary Secretary[Note 2]
Junior Lord of the Treasury[Note 2] 5
Assistant Whip, House of Commons[Note 2] 7
Lord in Waiting[Note 2] 5

The act also explicitly imposes the following limit over one:[5]

Office Limit
Assistant Opposition Whip, House of Commons 2

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Some salaries set out in the act are different depending on whether the office holder is a Member of Parliament or not. Office holders who are MPs also receive a salary by virtue of that role. Such salaries are designated in the tables below under the headers of "MP" and "Peer", respectively.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Office explicitly capable of having multiple concurrent salaried holders.

References

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  1. ^ Joint Committee on the Draft Civil Contingencies Bill (28 November 2003). "Draft Civil Contingencies Bill" (PDF). Parliament. pp. 48–9. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  2. ^ Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975, ss 1(2), 1(3), 1(3A), sch 1 and sch 2.
  3. ^ "Salaries of Members of Her Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2020-21" (PDF). Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  4. ^ Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975, sch 1 s 2.
  5. ^ Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975, sch 2 s 2.
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