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Members' Salaries, Pensions and Allowances

No, I will not, because there is no time. The London supplement is part of taxable pay, and so is completely different from all the other allowances, which are reimbursements for costs. The hon. Member for Bournemouth, West (Sir John Butterfill) spoke as chair of the trustees of the parliamentary contributory pension fund. He displayed his excellent grasp and fantastic understanding of the PCPF. He does not receive many thanks for all the work that he does on that, but we are all most grateful to him. I note that he supports the principles outlined in the Government's motions. We also heard from my hon. Friend the Member for Blaydon (Mr. Anderson). A major theme of this afternoon's debate has been the importance of trust in our democratic institutions, and in this House in particular. My right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House began by saying that MPs should be properly remunerated for the valuable work that they do. As Lloyd George said when introducing MPs' salaries in 1911:"““It is a demand from the democracy””" that voters have"““an unlimited choice to pick the people who will suit them best.””" It is also important that we provide, through the allowance system, adequate resources for hon. Members to do their jobs properly—and that that is seen to be separate from remuneration. Finally, it is vital that the public should have confidence in the decisions that we take. The motions before the House in the name of my right hon. and learned Friend are designed to achieve that, by setting a pay increase for this year in line with what key public sector workers are receiving, and by establishing for the future a system for deciding pay that is fully transparent and independent. This issue is not one of narrow party interest or the authority of the Government; rather, it is a matter of the integrity of the House, and the trust and respect that our fellow citizens can place in it. It is for that reason that I urge all hon. Members to support the motion in the name of my right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House.