House of Commons and Parliamentary Digital Service publish 2020 pay gap data

Gender Pay Gap    

House of Commons 

• The mean pay gap is 0.9%, a 0.6% increase on 2019 figures 
• The median pay gap is 0.9%, a 0.8% decrease on 2019 figures  

PDS 

• The mean pay gap is 0.8%, a 0.1% increase on 2019 figures  
• For the second year in a row, the median pay gap is  0.0% 

Compared to the median pay gap of 15.8% in favour of men in the public sector, both organisations show encouraging figures. 

Ethnicity Pay Gap   

Both PDS and House of Commons chose to publish their ethnicity pay gap figures as part of a commitment to improving diversity in Parliament.  

House of Commons 

• The House of Commons reports a 19.9% mean pay gap, a decrease of 0.5% since 2019 
• The median pay gap is 12.4% median gap, an increase of 3.7% since 2019  

PDS 

• The mean pay gap was 13.2%, a decrease of 1.7% compared to 2019 
• The median pay gap was 8.8%, a decrease of 1.4% compared to 2019 

These figures highlight a lack of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people working at the most senior pay bands, which both organisations are working hard to address. Using different methodology, ONS figures from 2019 found that the ethnicity pay gap in London was 23.8%. 

Recognising that there is still more to be done to reach gender pay parity and address the inequality experienced by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff, the House of Commons and PDS have made a clear commitment to providing a positive, inclusive working environment, introducing a number of new initiatives to tackle racism and reduce inequality.  

John Benger, Clerk of the House of Commons, said:  

“We are proud to still be able to report one of the lowest gender pay gaps in the public service, but at the same time, these figures illustrate that we cannot become complacent – this year our average gender pay gap has increased by 0.6% , and as an employer in one of the most diverse cities in the UK, our ethnicity pay gap is far too high. 

“We are taking steps to address this problem, including reviewing our recruitment strategies and policies, leadership programmes, reverse mentorship programmes, and signing up to the Race at Work Charter.  

“Ensuring Parliament is a workplace where everyone can thrive will always be our goal, and we will continue to set ourselves ambitious targets through our cultural transformation programme and our new HR strategy.” 

Chief Digital Information Officer for Parliament Tracey Jessup and Managing Director of the Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS) David Smith said: 

“We are pleased that the positive changes we have made to build and maintain a positive gender balance in PDS are reflected in our gender pay figures which for the second year running show close to pay parity in PDS. However, our second set of EPG data show that there is still much more work to do to tackle inequality in this area and to address the complexity of inequality, where individuals may be disadvantaged by a combination of gender, ethnicity and other protected characteristics.  

We will continue to take action to ensure that PDS is a place where all colleagues are equally valued and where diversity is celebrated. As part of Parliament, our aim is to be representative of the society we serve, and we are committed to working with our colleagues in the House of Commons and House of Lords to build a diverse, inclusive and welcoming team”. 

• Read: House of Commons pay gap report 2020 (PDF)
• Read: Parliamentary Digital Service pay gap report 2020 (PDF)