‘No secrecy’ surrounding Members' salary increase- HoA
“Contrary to the Auditor General’s report and public speculation, there was no secrecy surrounding the adjustments to Members’ compensation,” the HoA said in a statement on Sunday, September 21, 20...
“Contrary to the Auditor General’s report and public speculation, there was no secrecy surrounding the adjustments to Members’ compensation,” the HoA said in a statement on Sunday, September 21, 2025. Review conducted on the Deputy Governor’s Office direction The statement also reminded members of the public that the compensation review of the Government of the Virgin Islands was delegated to senior public officials who had care and control of the process at all times.
The Deputy Governor’s Office (DGO) is responsible for human resource policy within the public service, and, therefore, “the review itself was also carried out under the advice, recommendation, and direction” of the DGO. “This provided a layer of independent oversight and accountability.
The House of Assembly had no direct or indirect input in the process or the findings of the report, which was produced by PwC Advisory Services Limited,” the HoA added in its statement. 2024 Estimates documents increase The increase was captured in the $11.1 million estimate for public sector salary reviews, and the decision made by the Members was on the strong recommendation of officials. “At all times, the process followed the normal legislative and budgetary framework, and the discussions took place in forums designed for such deliberations.
The amount of the Members’ increase would have been documented in the Estimates for the Year 2024.” These Estimates were passed in the HoA and made public in January 2024, and the matter of salary increases “was locally circulated in the news, to which Members spoke publicly on the topic".
HoA salaries were among lowest in the region The HoA also clarified that before the adjustment, the base salary for an ordinary Member of the House of Assembly was among the lowest in the region at $36,000 per year. “By comparison, legislators in other Overseas Territories (Bermuda, Cayman, Turks & Caicos) and small jurisdictions receive salaries comparable to or above their senior public officers,” the statement continues.
It explained that this low salary risked “disuading qualified candidates from seeking office”, especially those who might face financial difficulty having to step away from their current careers. According to the HoA, “Bringing compensation in line with regional benchmarks was thus considered essential to sustaining a strong, representative legislature.” Increase is a small amount of overall increase The HoA justified the salary increases even more by saying it represents a “small portion” of the salary review package, as Members’ adjustments account for approximately 2.9% of the total 2024 salary review package, which is valued at $27.7 million. “The bulk of the funding was directed toward increasing salaries across the wider public service, rather than being concentrated on Members alone.” The House added that the decision to increase Members’ salaries was in line with the recommendations made by senior officials and financial information provided by the Office of the Financial Secretary, “which they believe to be an informed decision at that time”.
Webster said the "significant increase" in HOA Members’ salaries was implemented without any form of public disclosure and that the "potential impact of these new salaries on retirement benefits and pensions under amended legislation for HOA Members has not been discussed or addressed.
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