Stormont's political leaders should speak up to defend the pay-and-reward package provided to head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Jayne Brady, according to FDA general secretary Dave Penman.
His call came after the Belfast Telegraph reported that Brady had received a £30,000 increase in her total pay-and-pension package between 2023-24 and 2024-25 – and that no-one would explain who had authorised the uplift.
Brady’s salary and pension details are included in the Northern Ireland Executive Office’s annual report and accounts for 2024-25, which was published back in July. They show her 2024-25 salary bracketed at £195,000-£200,000, up from £175,000-£180,000 the previous year. Her annual pension benefits, meanwhile, increased from £66,000 to £76,000 over the same period.
Yesterday, the Belfast Telegraph said that neither the Democratic Unionist Party nor Sinn Féin had confirmed whether they supported Brady’s pay hike. It said the parties had also been asked whether first minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly had any role in approving the £30,000 increase, with no response from either.
The FDA’s Penman, whose union represents public sector leaders, said the Belfast Telegraph’s reporting had failed to relate that, as head of the NICS, Brady had received the same proportional pay rise as the rest of the civil service. He added that the most senior staff in NICS have “exactly the same pension scheme” as the rest of the civil service.
“Jayne Brady runs an organisation of 20,000+ people supporting an elected government,” Penman wrote on X. “All of the evidence shows that roles at this level are paid significantly more in the private sector, where pay and pension arrangements are routinely far more generous for senior staff.
“Those taking senior roles in the civil service already take a pay cut if they join from the private sector. They do it because they’re committed to public service and want to make a contribution to their country – the very ethos of public service.”
Brady joined NICS from Belfast City Council in 2021. She had served as the authority’s digital innovation commissioner since the spring of 2020. Before that, her career had been mostly spent working for tech firms and in venture capital.
Penman said transparency over pay and reward in the public sector was important, but that it was also vital for ministers to speak up for officials who are unable to speak up for themselves.
“The civil service cannot be isolated from legitimate public interest or criticism, but what we are seeing is the constant drip feeding of stories, designed to undermine individuals and the service as a whole,” he said. “This will do nothing to attract the best talent from outside the service.
“The civil service cannot publicly defend itself, that is the role of elected ministers. Time for them to step up to the plate.”
While the Belfast Telegraph was unable to find members of the legislative assembly willing to support Brady’s pay and pension package, it did secure a concerned response from SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole, who is leader of the opposition at Stormont.
O’Toole said he was shocked at the increase in Brady's pay-and-pension package. “The opposition will be pressing for detail on why the leadership of the civil service feels such a rise was appropriate in the circumstances,” he said.
The Belfast Telegraph said the NICS had been unable to say what the process had been for approving Brady’s increased salary and pension package. However it said the Northern Ireland Department of Finance had confirmed that her precise salary is £195,206.
A statement from the DoF said: “Civil servants, including senior civil servants, move up each pay point in the pay scale for their grade each year subject to satisfactory performance and other eligibility criteria (with effect from the pay award date, until they reach the top of the scale). Pay has been increased in line with published pay awards.”