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Candidate's response - Maurice Golden, Conservative

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Q1. PCS is campaigning for a national civil service pay framework, which would protect members’ pay from erosion by inflation. Do you support PCS’s campaign against cuts in real pay for public servants?

First of all, let me say how much I value all those who work in the public sector. There is a great tradition of public service in this country of which we can be very proud and for which the British people are very grateful.

Furthermore I recognise that the rising cost of living is putting added pressures on our wages. However while the government also tackles rising costs such as fuel, it is difficult to see how we can commit to PCS’ pledge without prejudicing the government’s policy of no compulsory redundancies.

Q2. Do you think its possible to offer more effective and responsive public services whilst at the same time cutting public service jobs and funding in critical areas - such as job centres, benefits and pensions offices, tax and business support centres and customs officers?

Since January 2006, the government have produced ten major documents on welfare all claiming to radically reform the system. Whilst Gordon Brown’s gimmicks may grab the headlines, the reality is that nearly 5 million working-age men and women are out of work and on sick benefits.

Worse still, the number of people aged under 25 on incapacity benefit has gone up by 50 per cent.

Conservatives believe it is time for an entirely new welfare system, based on an entirely new culture of responsibility.

Not the state taking responsibility away from people and making them dependent, but people and communities taking responsibility for themselves and achieving the success and satisfaction of independence.

As part of our proposals, there will be regular assessments of abilities, with unconditional help for those who genuinely cannot work. .

Q3. PCS is concerned that the government has privatised more of the civil service since 1997 than the Conservative government did in 18 years. These privatisations are costly and unnecessary as they are jeopardising services being delivered to the public, often the most vulnerable in society. Where do you stand on privatising public services, in particular the delivery of employment services?

While Conservatives believe that there is scope for efficiency savings in the public sector, there are undoubtedly problems with the programme the Government has undertaken.

Billions of pounds have been spent on public services, but there have not been the improvements in public service delivery that everyone wants to see.

Instead, our public services need reform, to ensure that resources reach empowered frontline professionals – reform which the government has demonstrated itself unable to deliver.