The cost to government departments of the recent pay award for government staff has been revealed.

Civil servants and government manual workers have been awarded a 2.3% pay rise this year following arbitration - and Tynwald members will get the extra 2.3% too.

The move, which came after no agreement could be reached, will cost government an extra £2.7m.

Meanwhile, health and social care workers on Manx pay terms and conditions, some 1,200 in total, have been awarded a 2.5% increase for last year, again following arbitration.

That increase will cost £1.7m.

In Tynwald Speaker Juan Watterson asked each government department what the impact would be of the increase above the budgeted 1% in terms of cost, cuts in services and increases in charges.

Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan said the extra cost on his department would work out at about £183,000 but would accommodated through managing vacancies.

The Cabinet Office will have to find an extra £221,000, including back pay. Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas said no cuts in services or increases in charges were planned. He said there was a review of how services are delivered.

Attorney General John Quinn said the extra cost will be £49,422, with no plans to cut services or levy new charges. He said he was reviewing the structure of teams and any vacant posts.

Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly said the DED had accommodated pay rises within the existing employee cost budget and there were no plans to cut services.

He said since 2016-17 an extra £122,000 has been met withing the existing employee cost budget. There were no plans to cut services, he said, and charges usually rose in line with inflation.

The Department of Education and Children said it, too, had accommodated an additional £680,000 from the existing budget since 2016-17 and there were no plans to cut services.

But it, like the DED, says that might position might change if significant pay awards are agreed next year.

DEFA Minister Geoffrey Boot said an extra £195,000 has been met from within existing budgets since 2016-17 with no plans to cut services - unless there is another big rise next year.

Health Minister Kate Beecroft said it was estimated that the cost of each additional 1% salary award over the amount budgeted (at full establishment) is approximately £1.4m. Efficiency gains and other measures would need to be made to meet the cost pressure, she said.

As the Manx Independent reports on page 4 this week, the department has since announced a recruitment freeze for ’non-essential’ workers.

At Home Affairs, the additional amount that needs to be covered is £128,982, plus £250,000 for the police and £30,000 for the fire service.

Minister Bill Malarkey said it was not yet possible to predict how the pay increase will be fully funded.

Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer said extra costs of £510,000 had been found from existing budgets since 2016-17. They were no plans to cut services but the department was closely monitoring the situation, he said.