PROJECTED SALARY increases for parliamentarians put the Prime Minister's pay at $6 million by 2005.
Using the same projections, Cabinet Ministers would get $4.5 million while the salary for MPs would move up to $2.8 million over the period.
The figures, which are linked to hikes in the salaries of Permanent Secretaries, were disclosed in the House of Representatives yesterday by Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies.
Currently, the Prime Minister earns $4.7 million, a Cabinet Minister gets $3.5 million and an MP earns $2.2 million per annum.
However, it is uncertain whether the parliamentarians will received these salary hikes given the recent establishment of a committee to review the salaries of legislators.
Last week, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson suspended further increases in the salaries of parliamentarians pending the recommendations of the committee which will be chaired by Managing Director of The Gleaner Company Ltd., Mr. Oliver Clarke.
The committee will, among other things, examine whether the link between the salaries of Permanent Secretaries and parliamentarians should be maintained.
Dr. Davies yesterday dismissed reports of a 103 per cent hike in the salaries on parliamentarians. According to him, the increase in the salaries of parliamentarians between 1999 and 2001 was 89 per cent.
However, this excludes salary adjustments, which took effect last October and aimed at bringing civil servants' salaries to 80 per cent of those paid in the private sector.
The first 20 per cent of the adjustment took place last October. There will be another 20 per cent movement in 2003; a further 30 per cent adjustment in 2004; and the final adjustment of 30 per cent in 2005.
Other members of the committee which will review the salaries for parliamentarians are Corrine McLarty, Bishop Charles Dufour, Tony Lewars and Las Perry.
Mrs. Maria Thompson-Walters, Senior Pay Planning Officer in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, will serve as secretary to the committee which is scheduled to hold its first informal meeting this week. It will be making public information on how it will operate and how persons can make submissions.
There has been widespread public controversy over the hike in the salary of parliamentarians since they received a pay raise in October last year.
