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Data Protection and Freedom of Information

Indeed, Madam Deputy Speaker, but if I may say so, the salary set down in the motion should partly reflect the current postholder's performance, which is presumably the motivation for increasing it by 40 per cent. As I was saying, however, it is a shame that the notion of public service has declined so much that we have such comparators with the private sector all the time. Finally, on performance, the issue on which the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) just intervened, before I came to this House seven and a half years ago, I was a solicitor, and seven and a half years ago and more, the big law firms were getting out of performance-related pay, because they found that it did not work. I want people to be accountable, particularly in the public sector, when they earn that kind of money—or will do if the motion is agreed to. I want them to be accountable, but I want that notion of public service, and one cannot simply measure it in commercial terms, because the ethos of public service is different and so important.