Some benefits staff 'paid less than claimants'

The top civil servant at the Department for Communities gave evidence at Stormont

Some Civil Service staff who administer benefits in Northern Ireland receive less money than the people they serve, according to a senior civil servant.

The permanent secretary for the Department for Communities was speaking at a Stormont committee on Thursday.

Colum Boyle said some departmental staff had complained about their pay.

“Many of those staff are serving people who are on benefits who are getting more money on benefits than some of our staff are getting on pay,” he said.

“It puts into very, very sharp focus the jobs that they do.”

Mr Boyle praised staff at all levels, from his senior team to frontline staff.

“No pay increases of any significance – quite derisory pay increases in terms of how they felt about it, in terms of the feedback they gave me,” he said.

“But we had our hands very tied and I know the Department of Finance felt very, very badly about how that all played out.”

Civil Service staff shortages

The finance minister has offered most civil servants a 5% pay increase and a £1,500 one-off payment for 2023/24.It is the latest public sector pay offer to flow from Stormont’s financial package.The lowest paid civil servants have been offered a 10% increase to bring them up to the level of real living wage.

Public sector workers have taken industrial action over their ongoing pay dispute

Referring to budget constraints and staff shortages, Mr Boyle said there was intense pressure on his department.

“If we had all of the people that we needed, to do the work that we need to do, we are about 1,100 shy,” he said.

Although he insisted the department remained ambitious and would continue to carry out its work, he said there were many challenges ahead.

“We are struggling to keep our heads above water here in terms of the statutory services that we deliver,” he said.

“We are in danger of tinkering around here with sub-optimal services that will come back to bite us.”

Mr Boyle has been the most senior civil servant in the department since April 2022.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons had been due to address the committee but it clashed with a meeting of the Northern Ireland Executive.