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Social Security

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that point, because there is a difference between public and private schemes. The latter very often have the words ““retail prices index”” or ““in line with statutory provisions”” in their rules. The rules of public sector pensions did not have the words ““retail prices index”” in them; statutorily, they simply link to whatever the Government of the day do with state earnings-related pension schemes. Whatever amount or percentage SERPS went up by has always been the legal entitlement for members of public sector schemes, and we have not changed that or the law on it. Obviously, we are defining inflation differently, but the legal entitlement of members of public sector schemes was always whatever happened to SERPS, and we have not changed that.