Public Sector Pay Cap Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Public Sector Pay Cap

Neil O'Brien Excerpts
Wednesday 5th July 2017

(7 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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We care about how well our public services are serving the public, and we want to have highly motivated people working in our public services who feel valued and properly remunerated. That is why such decisions are made by independent bodies.

Neil O'Brien Portrait Neil O’Brien (Harborough) (Con)
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Members on both side of the House want strong wage increases for those at the bottom end, whatever sector they are in. Will the Chief Secretary tell us what our new national living wage will do to the incomes of those at the bottom end, and will she confirm that it will give us one of the strongest minimum wages in the world?

Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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My hon. Friend is right and I congratulate him on the role he had in that policy. We are raising wages for those on the lowest incomes and taking more people out of tax. Basic rate taxpayers have seen a £1,000 reduction in their tax bill. That is important in dealing with the cost of living and in making sure that it always pays for people to go into work.