Secretary of State for Justice (): I am today confirming the
Government’s decision on pay awards for both prison staff and the
judiciary.
Prison Staff Pay Award 2023/24
Having carefully considered the Prison Service Pay Review Body’s
(PSPRB) recommendations on the 2023/24 pay award, we are
accepting in full the 13 recommendations made by the PSPRB for
all staff within their remit for implementation in this financial
year. The pay award will also apply to some non-remit group staff
within the Prison Service grading structure. Nearly c.39,000
staff will benefit from the pay award, based on internal
estimates.
I am grateful for the continued hard work and dedication of all
Prison Service staff, who play a vital role in helping to
rehabilitate prisoners and keep the public safe.
The award delivers headline pay increases of:
- 7% for Prison Officer grades (Bands 3-5)
- 5% for Managerial and Prison Governor grades (Bands 7-12)
- £2,000 for our lowest paid staff, Band 2 Operational Support
Grades
This pay award will be paid this autumn and will be backdated to
1 April 2023.
Accepting all recommendations from the PSPRB in full reflects my
commitment to supporting the recruitment and retention of prison
staff and recognises the essential contribution they make every
day. In recognition of the significant cost-of-living pressures
on staff, this pay award especially targets the lowest grades.
The pay award this year has been made affordable by
reprioritising spending within the existing budgets, including at
the Efficiency and Savings Review, with consideration of the
inflationary pressures across the Department’s budget, the wider
economic position, and alongside the additional cost of the pay
award in 2022/23. It is affordable in the context of the
Department’s Spending Review settlement which provided an extra
£3.2 billion across this Parliament, taking total funding to
£11.5 billion in 2024/25. This award is consistent with the
Government’s priority to halve inflation and recognises the
primacy of investing in people.
I would like to thank the PSPRB for their valuable advice and
response to the Government’s evidence.
The report has been laid before Parliament today 13 July 2023
and a copy is attached. I am grateful to the Chair and members of
the Review Body for their report.
Judicial Pay Award 2023/24
The Government received the Senior Salary Review Body’s (SSRB)
report on 8 June 2023. This will be presented to Parliament and
published on Gov.uk.
The Government values the independent expertise and insight of
the SSRB and has considered the advice in the report.
The recommendation made by the SSRB for the judiciary is for a
pay award of 7% for all judicial office holders within the remit
group for 2023/24. I have decided to accept this recommendation,
which will be applied equally to all salary groups backdated to
April 2023.
This award is over double that of last year and will apply to
1922 salaried judicial office holders. The award will help
address judicial recruitment shortfalls, and I have considered
affordability and the Government’s priority to halve inflation
alongside the need for ongoing investment into improving the
wider criminal justice system.
This increase demonstrates the value the Government places on our
independent judiciary and their crucial role as we continue to
deliver court reform and tackle the outstanding caseload.
