Cost of the Ministerial Salary Review

Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on cost of the Ministerial Salary Review

Parliamentary Sitting: 6 March 2012

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether the recent Committee to Review Political Salaries was extended an honorarium for its services in any way, either as a committee or for its individual members; and (b) what was the total cost incurred in the appointment of this Committee, including associated costs incurred in the appointment of Mercer as the consultant, secretarial support and other disbursements.

Written Reply (for the Prime Minister) by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security, Minister in charge of the Civil Service and Minister for Home Affairs:

The Chairman and members of the Ministerial Salaries Review Committee were all volunteers and they were not paid honorarium or any other fees.

At the start of the review last year, Mr Gerard Ee mentioned that the Committee had a small secretariat of civil servants who were resource persons and helped provide logistical and administrative support.  These civil servants supported the Committee on a part-time basis and continued with their primary roles and duties.

The Committee engaged Mercer (Singapore) Pte Ltd to support the Committee’s work with their technical expertise on Human Resource and remuneration issues.   The Committee had selected Mercer after assessing bid proposals submitted by a total of three companies. The total consultancy fee, including GST, paid to Mercer was about $860,000.

No other additional cost was incurred by the Government in relation to the appointment of the Ministerial Salaries Review Committee.