§ 4. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will make a statement on the steps she intends to take to provide complete insurance cover for all nursing and other personnel within the National Health Service in the course of their employment.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security (Mr. Alec Jones)The existing arrangements for paid sick leave and payment of injury benefits to National Health Service staff apply to cases of personal injury occurring in the course of employment. Third party claims are normally met by NHS employing authorities which may be held to be vicariously liable for the negligence—other than criminal negligence—of their employees in the course of the employment. Such claims are met from voted moneys and no insurance arrangements are necessary.
§ Mr. HamiltonI am not sure what that answer means. Can my hon. Friend give an assurance that the promise made by the late Dick Crossman a few years 217 ago about the coverage of nurses involved in accidents while travelling in ambulances, for instance, will be honoured? They were not covered, and a specific case was raised at that time by my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby (Mr. Price). The unions are very concerned that in such circumstances the young people in question should be covered within the health service.
§ Mr. JonesI can well understand my hon. Friend's saying that he could not understand the answer. I must confess that I had considerable difficulty in understanding his Question. I would not want to be held responsible for any promise made by Mr. Richard Crossman at any time throughout his life. The best way of dealing with the matter is for my hon. Friend to put down a Question dealing with the specific point or to write to me, or he might prefer to come to see me about it.
§ Mr. MolloyIf my hon. Friend the Minister wants to understand the problem, will he consider seeing the leaders of the various organisations representing the staff, such as the Confederation of Health Service Employees, which will be able to explain the problem in detail? They will no doubt also be able to advise my hon. Friend what legislation he should introduce to cover the problem now facing the nursing and auxiliary staffs in the health service.
§ Mr. JonesI am aware of the problem. My difficulty was in understanding the wording of the Question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Fife, Central (Mr. Hamilton). I am prepared at all times to meet representatives of those employed in the health service on this or any other issue that worries them.