CPS staffing data as at March 2025
I would appreciate it if you could provide me with the following information under Freedom of Information legislation.
The total number of staff that you employ.
As of 31 March 2025, the number of staff employed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is 7,597.
The total number at each pay grade.
Please see the table below, these figures are as of 31 March 2025:
Count of Person Number ONS GRADE | Total |
|---|---|
| Administrative Assistant (AA) | 8 |
| Administrative Officer (AO) | 1504 |
| Executive Officer (EO) | 1615 |
| Higher Executive Officer (HEO) | 637 |
| Senior Executive Officer (SEO) | 529 |
| Grade 7 (G7) | 2957 |
| Grade 6 (G6) | 249 |
| Senior Civil Service (SCS) | 98 |
| Grand Total | 7597 |
The starting salaries for each pay grade for financial year 2024/25
Please see the table below which sets out CPS 2024/25 starting salaries for all grades. Please note the caveats appended to that data when considering the disclosure.
| CPS Grade | Civil Service Equivalent Grade | 2024-2025 Starting Salary |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | AA | National - £23,600 London - £24,450 |
| A2 | AO | National - £23,800 London - £25,000 |
| A2 Paralegal Assistant | AO | National - £24,950 London - £26,750 |
| B1 | EO | National - £29,620 London - £31,030 |
| B2 | HEO | National - £34,680 London - £36,360 |
| Associate Prosecutor Level 1 | HEO | National – £35,600 London - £37,400 |
| Associate Prosecutor Level 2 | HEO | National – £39,000 London - £40,800 |
| B3 | SEO | National – £42,530 London - £44,270 |
| Crown Prosecutor | SEO | National – £42,320 London - £44,570 |
| Crown Advocate Level 1 | SEO | National – £42,320 London - £44,570 |
| Level D | G7 | National – £56,640 London - £60,990 |
| Legal Manager 1 | G7 | National – £64,640 London - £71,270 |
| Crown Advocate Level 2 | G7 | National – £57,850 London - £62,890 |
| Crown Advocate Level 3 | G7 | National – £65,150 London - £70,150 |
| Specialist Prosecutor | G7 | National – £63,370 London - £68,340 |
| Level E | G6 | National – £74,630 London - £77,980 |
| Senior Specialist Prosecutor | G6 | National – £74,560 London - £77,650 |
| Legal Manager 2 | G6 | National - £74,990 London - £78,970 |
| Senior Crown Advocate | G6 | National – £72,450 London - £75,400 |
| Principal Crown Advocate | G6 | National – £84,400 London – £88,900 CCD/KC - £106,3801 |
| Senior Legal Manager 1 | SCS Pay Band 1 | £94,160 |
| Senior Legal Manager 2 | SCS Pay Band 1 | £109, 560 |
| N/A | SCS Pay Band 1 | £76,2002 |
| N/A | SCS Pay Band 2 | £98,0002 |
| N/A | SCS Pay Band 3 | £128,0002 |
Notes
1CCD/KC: Principal Crown Advocates based in the CPS’ Central Casework Division (CCD) or those advocates appointed Kings Counsel (KC) use a discrete Nationwide pay range (there is no London equivalent range).
2Senior Civil Service (SCS) grades are not CPS-specific but rather apply across the entire Civil Service. SCS starting salaries are set by Cabinet Office following evidence presented by the Senior Salaries Review Body.
The current average salary for each pay grade (for financial year 2024/25)
The CPS does not collate and record this information.
Whilst the FOIA allows the public to request information held by a public authority (the CPS) subject to any exemptions found in the Act, this must be information held by the CPS in recorded form. Accordingly, the CPS is not obliged to create new information or find the answer to this question where the information is not already in recorded format.
Details of any special pay rates/systems you have for staff in DDAT roles.
The CPS does not have any special pay rates/systems in place for employees in Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) roles (now known as the Government Digital and Data profession).
Details of any special allowances you have the discretion to pay to prevent a staff member from leaving their role.
The CPS does not use discretionary special allowances or any other disbursements to prevent employees from leaving their role.
Details of any pay progression scheme that you operate.
The CPS does not operate a formal pay progression scheme. It does however apply discretionary pay progression. This provides variable salary increases to move employees through the pay range.
Discretionary progression is dependent on:
- Cabinet Office pay remit guidance which provides a framework within which all government departments set pay for the year. The guidance sets out the permitted allocation for making average pay awards and varies from year to year. The most recent guidance is available here.
- The outcome of collective bargaining with the CPS’ recognised trade unions.