Maria explained that changes were necessary because longer life expectancy over the last 50 years had increased the cost of public service pensions by around a third.  A review by the former Labour Minister Lord Hutton had made clear that there was a rationale for increasing contributions to ensure a fairer distribution of costs between taxpayers and pension scheme members.

Maria said: “Public sector pensions, including teachers’ pensions, will remain among the very best, providing a guaranteed pension level for all employees. Very few private sector employers still offer defined benefit levels.”

Maria added: “The consultation on the proposed changes is still ongoing, and I will write to Treasury and Education Ministers to pass on the points made to me by the QMC teachers.”