§ 28. Mr. Penhaligonasked the Minister for the Civil Service if the Civil Service Pay Research Unit has made any comparisons between pensions paid in the private sector and pensions paid in the public sector.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisThe Pay Research Unit obtains details of the pension arrangements applying in the outside firms covered by its surveys on a confidential basis. This information is included in its reports and is used to adjust Civil Service pay to allow for differences both in pension benefits and pension contributions.
§ Mr. PenhaligonDoes the Minister agree that the vast majority of the British population, retired and working, will have a reduction in their standard of living during the next 12 months? How can he defend a system which lets this elite body 961 off that grave result of our economic chaos?
§ Mr. MorrisI do not accept that civil servants and the 1 million public servants who have given a lifetime of service to the community and the State are in any way an elite body.