{
  "id": 6289168,
  "title": "In Parliament: Ministerial salaries to rise by up to 9% to S$1.2 million by Oct 15",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/in-parliament-ministerial-salaries-to-rise-by-up-to-9-to-s-1-2",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-08T13:32:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Independent Singapore",
    "slug": "the-independent-singapore",
    "url": "https://theindependent.sg/in-parliament-ministerial-salaries-to-rise-by-up-to-9-to-s-1-2-million-by-oct-15/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Tuesday, Sep 8, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong revealed a salary increase for political office holders, with the change set to take effect on Oct 15. For ministers in the lowest tier, this would mean an annual pay of approximately S$1.2 million, marking the first salary increase for ministers in the past 15 years. Wong highlighted that ministerial salaries have lags behind those in the private sector and civil service, noting that some senior permanent secretaries now earn more than ministers. He announced this decision in response to an independent review committee's recommendation to raise the benchmark salary of a minister at the lowest tier, the MR4 grade, from S$1.1 million to S$1.8 million. The government will also make increases to the salaries of other political salaries, MPs allowances, and adjustments to the president, parliamentary speaker, and deputy speakers' salaries, based on the committee's recommendations, starting Oct 15. The Prime Minister emphasized that the government is making a one-off adjustment of up to 9% for political office holders, rather than moving directly to the new salary benchmarks. Wong stated that the individual circumstances of each officeholder, including performance and when their salary was last adjusted, will determine the extent of their increase. He also stressed that the salary increases are about Singapore's future, ensuring that future Prime Ministers have a realistic chance of attracting capable Singaporeans to build a first-rate team for the country. Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the need to balance the ethos of political service while making sure the pool of Singaporeans who can fulfill such duties remains broad. He added that upholding a system that ensures capable Singaporeans step up to political service is crucial for Singapore's well-being. The minister thanked the review committee, which had convened last December, and acknowledged their challenging task.",
  "summary": "Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing will speak on Tuesday, the debate is scheduled for Thursday This article ( In Parliament: Ministerial salaries to rise by up to 9% to S$1.2 million by Oct 15 ) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}