HC Deb 05 November 1996 vol 284 cc1018-9
2. Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trusts have so far settled nurses' pay in the present financial year. [610]

The Minister for Health (Mr. Gerald Malone)

Sixty-six out of the 412 that have made offers.

Mr. Cousins

The Minister must know that nine out of every 10 NHS trusts have not settled the current pay round for nurses, and the next pay round is due to begin. All over the country, nurses and managers are locked in unnecessary disputes, because managers cannot let their hospitals go deeper into deficit. What message of hope does the Minister have for nurses this week?

Mr. Malone

My message of hope for nurses this winter is the pledge that the Government have given continuously to fund our health service in real terms on an increasing basis year on year. That is a pledge that the Labour party will not make.

There are now 412 detailed offers on the table for nurses and other health care professionals to pick up through negotiation. I hope that they will do that and conclude negotiations as quickly as possible. Whether or not they settle is a matter not entirely within my control.

Mrs. Roe

Can my hon. Friend confirm that a staff nurse can now earn more than £340 a week with additional payments for unsocial hours and overtime, while a sister with ward responsibilities can now earn more than £410 a week?

Mr. Malone

Yes, I can generally confirm those figures. If my hon. Friend looks at what was happening in 1979, she will discover that, in today's money, average nursing pay was £191, compared with £326 today under this Government.

Mr. Simon Hughes

Any decisions that the Government may have made this morning to increase resources for the health service are clearly welcome.

As the Minister well knows, this week marks the 50th anniversary of the setting up by statute of the national health service, promoted by William Beveridge and supported by my party in the post-war Parliament. Besides additional resources, removing unnecessary costs would also make a difference. I refer, for instance, to the costs incurred by local pay negotiations in the health service. If it is indeed a national health service, why do not Ministers heed the proposals of all the professionals and have national pay negotiations, thereby releasing a lot of time and money that could be spent on patient care?

Mr. Malone

I remind the hon. Gentleman that it was this Government who put in place the review body for nurses' pay which underpinned our commitment to national fairness for the nursing profession and other health care professionals. The pay review body remains in place. The nursing profession and other health professionals agreed to the introduction of local pay under a framework last year. That is what we are working towards; it will bring real benefits to people all across the country once it is finally introduced.