My statement of 3 February, Official Report, column 11WS-13WS, announced changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme and the process which led up to those changes. The Cabinet Office invited comments on its original proposals in July 2009 and received responses from the Defence Police Federation as well as from over 18,000 civil servants, unions, employers and others; the points made in all these submissions were considered in drawing up the Government's revised reforms. The Cabinet Office has also held discussions at a national level with the Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) in line with established practice. The Secretary of State for Defence wrote to the General Secretary of the Defence Police Federation in September 2009 proposing he discuss with the Secretary of the CCSU involving the Federation in national consultations (while recognising that the Federation is an independent staff association rather than a trade union).