§ 43. Mr. Parkerasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the rent of midwives supplied with furnished accommodation is to be raised from £52 a year to £90, to be back dated to 1st April, 1955, whereas under the recent decision of the Whitley Council their income is to be increased by only £25 a year, and that this charge is likely to accentuate the shortage of nurses and midwives; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodThis is a decision reached by agreement on the Whitley Council, which is representative of both the midwives and the employing local authorities. I understand that the new figure is a maximum, that the increase is the first since 1943, and that during the same period the midwives' salaries have gone up by over £200.