Writing to Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) interim chair Pippa Lambert last week, Raab said: ‘We are due to have a major review of the judicial salary structure, which usually takes place every five years.
‘I understand your concerns about starting a major review before a new judicial lead and permanent chair of the SSRB are appointed and so have taken the decision not to commission such a review this year.’
He said recruitment has been ‘stronger’ since the last major review in 2018 due to a new judicial pension scheme, but acknowledged there are ‘shortfalls in the Circuit Bench and the District Bench, and the level of fee paid judges applying for salaried office continues to be an issue. These areas would be a likely focus of a future major review’.
However, Raab asked for recommendations on the 2023-24 annual pay award for judges to be submitted by May 2023. He said this should ‘take account of evidence which my department will provide, including on the affordability of any award as well as evidence on recruitment, retention and diversity of judges’.
In April 2022, the Judicial Pension Scheme, a defined benefit scheme, was introduced. This replaced a variety of schemes introduced in 2015 which many judges found to be less beneficial than their previous arrangements. In the 2018 major review, the SSRB highlighted recruitment and retention problems at all levels of the judiciary due to the 2015 pension reforms.
Judicial salaries currently range from £91,217 for judges at the social entitlement chamber (asylum support tribunal, criminal injuries compensation tribunal and social security and child support tribunal) to £267,509 for the Lord Chief Justice.
District judges, employment tribunal judges and First-tier Tribunal judges receive £114,793 per year, Senior masters and registrars earn £148,820, and High Court judges receive £192,679.
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