§ Mr. Norman Hoggasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Dunbartonshire, East on 19 July, Official Report, c. 76, he will detail the steps he has taken to resolve the industrial action within the Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service which is preventing answers being given to certain parliamentary questions.
§ Mr. John MacKayAction at the common services agency is part of the wider NHS dispute which the Government have sought to resolve by authorising the Whitley councils to make increased offers within pay factors of 7½, 6½ or 6 per cent. for particular groups of staff. In addition, it has been made clear that future arrangements for dealing with pay can be discussed with a view to their introduction from 1983, and these are already under consideration for nurses and the professions supplementary to medicine. My right hon. and hon. Friends and I have emphasised that no further resources can be made available to meet this year's pay claim and that the inflexibility shown by the trade unions can only be to the detriment of the NHS.