Lord
Chancellor Derry Irvine said he will refuse a recommended pay increase of 12.6
per cent.
The
announcement last week of Lord Irvine’s £22,000 rise – more than the striking
firefighters earn in a year – caused uproar as it was revealed in the same week
that army personnel and teachers received increases of around 3 per cent, in
line with inflation.
Instead,
the Lord Chancellor will receive 2.25 per cent – the same as cabinet members –
increasing his pay by £4,000 to £184,096.
The
Lord Chancellor claims that it was his decision not to accept the increase even
though statute requires the Lord Chancellor to earn £2,500 above that of the
Lord Chief Justice, whose pay is linked to performance.
