HC Deb 13 July 1959 vol 609 cc12-3
26. Mr. Hamilton

asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to provide statistics showing the extent to which nurses' accommodation and food in hospitals are subsidised.

Mr. R. Thompson

To provide the required information would entail a major extension of present hospital costing arrangements and although a few hospital authorities have been able to carry out the work my right hon. and learned Friend does not feel justified in asking authorities generally to give this priority over the many other calls upon their resources.

Mr. Hamilton

Would the Minister make available to me such figures as he has got from the different hospital authorities—indeed, publish them in the OFFICIAL REPORT —so that we may assess what nurses are or are not getting in salary and subsidised accommodation and food?

Mr. Thompson

I will do my best to help the hon. Gentleman. A limited investigation by Abel-Smith and Titmuss, prior to 1956, led them to the view that the cost of providing all resident staff with goods and services was at least 40 per cent. higher than the payments made by the staff for them.

27. Mr. Hamilton

asked the Minister of Health whether he will take steps to ensure that a student nurse pays no greater percentage of her salary in residential charges than does a senior nurse, in view of the need to attract increasing numbers of recruits to the profession.

Mr. R. Thompson

Residential charges are agreed by the Whitley Council. The charge for a student general nurse is only £128 a year and I have no reason to believe that it is a deterrent to recruitment.

Mr. Hamilton

But is the Minister aware that the representation of student nurses on the Whitley Council is either non-existent or negligible? Can he take steps to ensure that their voices are adequately heard there in order that these genuine grievances may be either removed or reduced?

Mr. Thompson

That is rather a different question, but there is no reason to believe that the residence charge is a deterrent to recruitment of student nurses; in fact, I am happy to say that the number of student nurses in training goes up every year.

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