asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Ministerial Statement on the pay rise announced earlier this year for the Armed Forces, quoted by the Royal British Legion in its submission to the Ministry of Defence of 8 May, “in recognition of their tremendous contribution at home and overseas”, was drafted before or after they decided to abolish the 10p starting rate of income tax. [HL3595]

The Government's acceptance of all the recommendations contained in the 2008 report of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body was announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 7 February 2008. The decision to abolish the 10p starting rate of income tax was first announced in the 2007 Budget speech on 21 March 2007.