Member

The noble Baroness, Lady Stedman-Scott, and others, referred to this decision in the context of public sector pay awards. That was another cost not accounted for by the previous Government, a point helpfully made by the noble Lord, Lord Balfe. The previous Government commissioned the independent pay review bodies without any affordability criteria, and then sat on the results. This Government accepted the recommendations of those bodies because it was the right decision for those who work in public services and for those who use them, many of whom are pensioners.