Public Sector Pay Cap Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Public Sector Pay Cap

Robert Jenrick Excerpts
Wednesday 5th July 2017

(7 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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As with people who are under the purview of the pay review bodies, we need to ensure that we retain and recruit the best possible civil servants. At the same time, we need to ensure that that is affordable for the public purse.

Robert Jenrick Portrait Robert Jenrick (Newark) (Con)
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As the shadow Chancellor knows perfectly well, the former Prime Minister did not say that it was selfish for dedicated public sector workers to ask for a pay rise. He argued—I would agree—that it is selfish and immoral for politicians to offer benefits to the voters of today to be paid for by the voters of tomorrow. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, for her children and mine, it is important to balance fair treatment of the public sector with handing on a strong country not saddled by excess debt?

Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. We need to ensure that our public finances are properly sustainable, so that we can fund those public services in future, and so that we do not burden the next generation.