THE terms of reference of the States Members’ Remuneration Review Body state that ‘no person should be precluded from serving as a Member of the States by reason of insufficient income’.

That is very much the way matters ought to be arranged in a modern democracy that values the ideas and opinions of people from all walks of life. But in spite of this, few people would argue that paying the Island’s politicians has produced administrations that are markedly more efficient or effective than those of the unpaid past. Indeed, many would argue that there was more evidence of statesmanship when honorary service was the order of the day.

There can, of course, be no going back to the era of purely voluntary political service. The impulse to serve might be strong in all parts of the community, but reliance on what were once pejoratively referred to as part-time or hobby politicians would not only exclude too many able people from office but would also lend enormous weight to the idea that the Island is dominated by a self-serving elite.

However, even if the principle of payment is not to be questioned, how much our political representatives should be paid is very much a live issue. Moreover, pitching payment at the right level is a very knotty problem indeed, not least because, in more than one sense, not all States Members are equal.

If we are to view the composition of the Assembly objectively, we must surely agree that there are those for whom the present remuneration of just over £41,000 is irrelevant small change, those for whom it is a salary that allows them to serve the community with no short-term financial distractions, and those who could not hope to earn such a sum if the electorate had not, for often unfathomable reasons, smiled on them.

Fortunately, although Members have the right to object to the pay proposals put to them, levels are recommended by the independent Review Body. As well as taking into account what is required if Members are to enjoy an acceptable standard of living, the body must pay heed to the condition of the economy and the States inflation target. It has now gone a step further by launching a public consultation on States pay.

This initiative is certainly to be welcomed, particularly in the present difficult circumstances – though amid measured suggestions and soundly reasoned ideas the body can no doubt expect to hear a good many salty and derisive comments.