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Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

I too support this amendment very strongly. No doubt the formation of an independent pay review body has had a very remarkable effect in a number of ways. As much as anything else it is a confidence-giving measure. Bearing in mind the history of the pay and conditions in the Prison Service and the role that the POA played in them, the pay review body’s arrival has done a great deal to ease that situation as well. However, I must just correct one statement by the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham. Last year may have been the first time that staged responses came from the prisons and the police, but there had been stages in the past for the Armed Forces. Therefore, I am extremely glad that she has included the Armed Forces in her amendment.