§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will allocate more funds to Clwyd health authority to enable the authority to meet the nurses' wages awards; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will publish his latest estimate of the likely full percentage overall pay increase for the nurses' pay award for each of the health authorities in Wales; and if he will make a statement;
(3) if he will meet Clwyd area health authority to discuss the financial implications of the nurses' pay award; if he will grant the Welsh area health authorities £10 million extra cash to meet the nurses' pay award; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GristResponsibility for implementing the new nurses' clinical grading structure rests with health authorities; until the outcome of that exercise is completed the percentage increase for each authority cannot be known for certain. The review body estimated that the overall effect would be to add 14.5 per cent, to the pay bill. This, together with the costs of implementing the other review bodies' awards (for doctors, dentists and professions allied to medicine) is estimated to be £33.366 million—after taking account of the allowance for pay and price inflation already in health authorities' allocations for this year.
I cannot comment on the need for additional funds until the implementation of the new grading structures has been completed.