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- Mar 31, 2009
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Britain's Highest Paid Civil Servants Named
A list has been published of 172 civil servants who earn over £150,000 - more money than the Prime Minister.
Top of the bill is Office of Fair Trading chief executive John Fingleton, whose annual £279,999 package was one of 23 worth more than £200,000.
The details have been released as the start of David Cameron's promise to rip off the "cloak of secrecy" from Government to give the public more access to official information.
By September, ministers will also publish the pay and perks of senior civil servants earning £58,200 or more - and the PM will also force local councils to do the same.
Most of the 172 salaries had either already been published or unearthed by campaign groups such as the TaxPayers' Alliance, which publishes an annual Whitehall rich list.
The pressure group welcomed the official release as a "first step" but said further details such as taxpayer-funded pension deals should also be revealed.
Among other top earners were NHS chief executive David Nicholson (up to £259,999) and Joe Harley, the IT director general and chief information officer at the Department for Work and Pensions, (£249,999).
The Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup gets up to £244,999 - one of 28 people at the Ministry of Defence paid more than the Prime Minister.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude is overseeing the process - and the creation of a public "right to data" - as the head of a Public Sector Transparency Board.
Mr Maude said: "By being open and accountable we can start to win back people's trust."
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Publishing this data is long overdue but is nevertheless extremely welcome.
"Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent and anyone earning a large amount of money in Government should have their pay packet open to public scrutiny, so people can judge whether they are providing good value for money.
"This should be the beginning of a process where the pay of people in quangos, local government and the European Commission is also published to help the Government root out excessive salaries and wasteful spending."
A list has been published of 172 civil servants who earn over £150,000 - more money than the Prime Minister.
Top of the bill is Office of Fair Trading chief executive John Fingleton, whose annual £279,999 package was one of 23 worth more than £200,000.
The details have been released as the start of David Cameron's promise to rip off the "cloak of secrecy" from Government to give the public more access to official information.
By September, ministers will also publish the pay and perks of senior civil servants earning £58,200 or more - and the PM will also force local councils to do the same.
Most of the 172 salaries had either already been published or unearthed by campaign groups such as the TaxPayers' Alliance, which publishes an annual Whitehall rich list.
The pressure group welcomed the official release as a "first step" but said further details such as taxpayer-funded pension deals should also be revealed.
Among other top earners were NHS chief executive David Nicholson (up to £259,999) and Joe Harley, the IT director general and chief information officer at the Department for Work and Pensions, (£249,999).
The Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup gets up to £244,999 - one of 28 people at the Ministry of Defence paid more than the Prime Minister.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude is overseeing the process - and the creation of a public "right to data" - as the head of a Public Sector Transparency Board.
Mr Maude said: "By being open and accountable we can start to win back people's trust."
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Publishing this data is long overdue but is nevertheless extremely welcome.
"Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent and anyone earning a large amount of money in Government should have their pay packet open to public scrutiny, so people can judge whether they are providing good value for money.
"This should be the beginning of a process where the pay of people in quangos, local government and the European Commission is also published to help the Government root out excessive salaries and wasteful spending."
