Motion: Indranee Rajah on Report of the Commission on Parliament Staff

A retention payout for parliamentary clerks from Sep 1 and a pay rise of between two and nine per cent from Aug 1 for parliament staff to align with that of their peers whose pay increases were announced in February. Leader of the House Indranee Rajah outlined these proposals in a motion in parliament on Tuesday (Aug 4), based on the recommendations of a Commission submitted in July. Ms Indranee told the House that the volume of parliamentary work has increased substantially, with parliamentary clerks handling increasingly complex business and rules. She added that the work of parliamentary clerks is highly specialised and there are challenges recruiting suitable candidates, especially qualified legal professionals. The Commission's recommendations aim to ensure that the terms of service of the staff of parliament remain competitive in attracting and retaining strong officers, she said.