Commons chairmen to get pay hike

Standing committees scrutinise legislation

Chairmen of House of Commons standing committees are to be given a pay rise of up to £13,000 on top of their MPs' salaries, it has been agreed.

The move, expected to cost taxpayers about £420,000 a year, was approved by MPs, despite being branded "absurd" by several Labour backbenchers.

Commons leader Geoff Hoon said pay would be tiered based on experience.

But MP Andrew Mackinlay said paying the chairmen more than other committee members was "unhealthy in a democracy".

The committee chairmen scrutinise legislation as it goes through the House - their pay rise was approved by 226 votes to 74, giving a majority of 152.

This is an absurd proposition which is going to aggravate and create new anomalies Andrew Mackinlay

Mr Hoon said a chairman would be paid £2,615 in his or her first year, rising in stages to £13,107 after five years.

Pay would be linked to workload, with the most experienced members of the chairmen's panel expected to do more work.

But Labour's Mr Mackinlay said: "This is an absurd proposition which is going to aggravate and create new anomalies."

The Commons also decided by 232 votes to 59 to extend pay for chairmen of select committees to those committees not already covered.

This is likely to cost about £17,000 a year per chairman.