Singapore will raise the monthly allowance for Members of Parliament (MPs) to 18,500 Singapore dollars (14,603 U.S. dollars) from 13,750 Singapore dollars from October 15.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Tuesday that political officeholders would receive a one-off salary adjustment of up to nine per cent.

He said in parliament that the changes were necessary to ensure Singapore could continue attracting capable people into political leadership, particularly from the private sector, where senior executives can earn more significantly.

The changes follow recommendations by an independent committee reviewing the salary framework for political appointment holders and MPs.

Mr Wong said the government accepted the recommendations but would phase in the proposed salary benchmarks rather than implement them immediately.

The committee recommended raising the benchmark salary for a ministerial grade 4, a senior public-sector pay grade, from 1.1 million Singapore dollars to 1.8 million Singapore dollars.

Mr Wong added thatministers and other political officeholders would initially receive an adjustment of up to nine per cent, depending on factors including individual performance and the last time their salaries were revised.

(Xinhua/NAN)