Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative) on Tuesday, 18 October 2016, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 1 November 2016. It was answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde (Conservative) on Tuesday, 25 October 2016 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Charities: Pay

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current levels of, and recent increases in, the total remuneration paid to the executive heads of the major charities in England and Wales.

Answer: Charity trustees, almost all of whom are unpaid, set levels of executive remuneration and must do so acting in the best interests of the charity. A 2014 study by The National Council for Voluntary Organisations found that senior executives in charities were generally paid substantially less than for similar roles in the public or private sectors. Charities are legally required to provide details of the number of staff in pay bands over £60,000 in their publicly available annual reports, and many charities go further in their accountability and publish full details as a matter of good practice.

Secondary information