§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effective annualised increase in public sector pay for those workers covered by the pay review bodies in each of the last four years. [26334]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithI estimate the average cost of the annual pay settlements, from 1 April each year, as follows:
Percentage 1998 3.9 1999 4.1 2000 3.7 2001 4.0 The figure for 1998 is the full year cost. The first year cost was 2.7 per cent., reflecting the staged implementation of the recommendations of the pay review bodies that year.