It's a retention and recruitment initiative, and it works. If they get rid of flying pay (a 25% pay cut for me) my PVR would be straight in and I know a few others in the same boat. And before every bitter and twisted person starts bleating about how we have too many pilots blah blah blah, just consider that some areas of the RAF aren't exactly overborne with operationally experienced pilots with 1000+ hours on type.
We need to be careful we don't get rid of the wrong people from the wrong areas.