Correspondence

RT HON John Glen letter to SSRB (HTML)

Published 20 December 2023

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Pippa Lambert
Senior Salaries Review Body
3rd Floor, Windsor House
50 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0TL

20 December 2023

Dear Pippa, 

SENIOR SALARIES REVIEW BODY (SSRB) 2024/25 REMIT (SENIOR CIVIL SERVICE)

I am writing to confirm the SSRB’s remit in relation to the SCS during the upcoming pay round for 2024/25 and ask that the SSRB conducts its usual annual review process and make recommendations to the Government on the pay of the SCS remit group from April 2024.

I would like to put on the record my appreciation of the SSRB’s work on the 2023/24 pay round. The Government values the SSRB’s important role in providing independent and evidence-based recommendations. I am grateful to you and your colleagues for this invaluable work.  

This year the Government evidence, which will be submitted in due course, will set out our strategic priorities for the SCS workforce, including in relation to pay. 

In 2023-24, the PRBs recommended historically high pay awards for their respective workforces in light of the extraordinary macroeconomic context. Accepting these recommendations, whilst not increasing borrowing, required tough decisions. It is vital that the PRBs consider the historic nature of the 2023-24 awards and the Government’s affordability position that will be set out further in written evidence.

As confirmed in recent years’ Government evidence to the SSRB, employees of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO) who are members of the SCS or are SCS equivalents fall within the remit of the SSRB, and information about this group as well as proposals on their remuneration, subject to the recommendations of the GCO Remuneration Committee, will be shared with the SSRB this year. 

Any specific proposals for the Permanent Secretary group will also be shared with the SSRB. Where any recommendations by the SSRB are made in relation to this group, these will be additionally considered by the Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee alongside our standard processes. 

I very much value the independent advice of the SSRB and look forward to receiving your recommendations for the SCS in due course. I wrote to you yesterday setting out my expectation that current SSRB vacancies would be filled at the earliest opportunity and the steps I have taken to ensure this is the case. I would like to take this opportunity to repeat those points, and assure you that my officials will continue to work at pace - including over the Christmas period - to ensure that there are no further delays in that regard.

I very much value the independent advice of the SSRB and look forward to receiving your recommendations for the SCS in due course

Yours sincerely,

RT HON. JOHN GLEN MP

MINISTER FOR THE CABINET OFFICE 

HM PAYMASTER GENERAL