§ 27. Mrs. Castleasked the Minister of Health whether he is now in a position to make a statement about his proposed changes in the conditions of employment of nursing cadets.
§ Mr. PowellNot yet.
§ Mrs. CastleBut does not the recent report of the Confederation of Health Service Employees about the very serious shortage of trained nurses show the urgent need for establishing good conditions of employment for these pre-nursing students as quickly as possible? Could I, once again, ask the right hon. Gentleman when he hopes to make his statement to the House?
§ Mr. PowellI must ask the hon. Lady to be patient a little longer.
§ 28. Mrs. Castleasked the Minister of Health how many hospital management committees are making deductions from the pay of nursing cadets for attendance at educational courses on more than one day per week; and how many with nursing cadets schemes are making no such deductions.
§ Mr. PowellI regret the information is not available.
§ Mrs. CastleDoes this not show that, pending the Minister's production of his clear statement of policy about the deductions from the pay of pre-nursing students who attend educational courses for more than one day a week, there is a disparity in the treatment of these hospital cadets by different hospital committees, a disparity which my Question was intended to elicit and which the Minister is able to evade by saying that the information is not available.
§ Mr. PowellAs this is an interim situation, I thought that it was not reasonable to secure reports on this point from all hospital authorities.