§ Mr. Canavan asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether he has had any response from Civil Service trade unions to the Government's proposal for a 4 per cent. pay norm in the public sector.
§ Mr. Hayhoe:The Government have not proposed a 4 per cent. pay norm. As my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear in his statement on 15 September, the 4 per cent. figure is a 133W broad measure of what the Government think reasonable and can be afforded as a general allowance for increases in pay at this stage of fixing the programme from which the public service wage bill has to be met. It does not imply that all public service pay increases will or should be 4 per cent. Some may be less and some may be more. In response to enquiries from the Civil Service unions we have confirmed that the assurances they were given earlier in the year about next year's pay negotiations are unaffected by this announcement.