HC Deb 14 November 2001 vol 374 c767W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on(a) public expenditure and (b) recruitment and retention within the civil service of the devolution to individual Government Departments and agencies of responsibility for pay negotiations. [14213]

Mr. Andrew Smith

On public expenditure, the position continues to be that Departments are expected to meet pay costs from within their public spending allocations. The flexibilities under the delegations allow Departments to structure their pay arrangements to meet their own particular circumstances and requirements, including dealing more effectively with recruitment and retention issues.

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