Politicians in Newfoundland and Labrador received a pay raise in July, just weeks after the legislature announced a committee would tour the province asking people what kind of pay elected officials should get.

The members compensation review committee, which started public hearings during the summer and wrapped up consultations last week, is looking at the amount of money politicians are paid, as well as their entitlement to allowances, severance payments and pensions.

Members of the house of assembly (MHAs) were given an eight per cent pay hike on July 1. The raise was based on a report into legislative reforms that said politicians are entitled to the same pay increase as civil servants, who this year got an eight per cent raise, until the review committee reports back to the legislature.

MHAs now have a base pay of $103,000 annually. They get extra pay if they take on other duties, such as the Speaker of the house or caucus chair positions.

The review committee held mostly public meetings around the province during the summer. However, when politicians appeared before the committee in St. John's last week, the meetings were held in private.

Committee chair Joe O'Neill told CBC news he asked that the sessions be behind closed doors because it would more "conducive" to giving politicians a private chance to talk about the legislature's detailed and complicated pay structure, and what is involved in the role of an MHA.

One of the politicians to appear in private was Education Minister Darin King, who represents the district of Grand Bank, on the south coast of the province.

King told CBC news last week that he is happy with politicians' current pay, but he wanted to ensure committee members understood what's involved in representing a district as rural as Grand Bank.

"I'm not convinced," he said, "that people truly understand the kinds of expectations placed on you as a member, and the kinds of events you have to attend in the district and the demands on your time. Coupled with being a cabinet minister, it makes it hard to balance. I wanted to make sure the committee knew the challenge of being an MHA."

The committee is scheduled to file a report by the end of October.