§ 6. Mr. Jonathan Shaw (Chatham and Aylesford)What proposals he has for extending the new deal to the NHS. [38676]
The Minister of State, Department of HealthI wrote to health authority and NHS trust chairmen on 11 March, in a joint letter with my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Disability Rights, about the benefits of the new deal, encouraging them to support the Government's welfare-to-work programmes. The NHS executive will shortly issue further guidance to NHS employers.
§ Mr. ShawGiven that the NHS is the largest employer in the UK, is it not sensible that it plays a part in the Government's new deal initiative? Furthermore, does my hon. Friend agree that the new deal provides a golden opportunity, given the concern about the shortage of nurses, for NHS trusts to attract back nurses who perhaps have been prevented by family commitments from going back to work in hospitals?
§ Mr. MilburnMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. The NHS is in a position both to contribute to and to gain from the new deal. I am pleased to tell him that, when I visited Newcastle yesterday, I learned that the NHS in Tyne and Wear is already considering making available 100 health care jobs through the new deal. I expect that to be followed in other areas.