§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which establishments in Scotland have paid a regular lead to nursing staff in each year since 1970; what was the annual value of the lead; what was its purpose; and if he will make a statement. [69055]
§ Mr. Galbraith[holding answer 8 February 1999]: The exact information required is not available centrally.
National terms and conditions for nursing staff include a range of leads and allowances paid under certain circumstances. Details of all such allowances were set out 848W in Annex 1 of the Health Departments' 1998 evidence to the Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine, copies of which are held in the Library. This included information on the current national rate of payment and a brief description of conditions for payment. Information on the value of leads and allowances is only available from 1986 onwards and copies of the relevant circulars issued to the NHS in Scotland have been placed in the Library. All NHS bodies which employ nurses on national contracts pay these leads and allowances, if qualifying conditions are met. Since 1994 employers have had the flexibility to increase leads and allowances locally, which some NHS Trusts have done. In their sixteenth report for 1999, laid before Parliament by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health, the Review Body recommended that on-call and stand-by allowances should be increased by 19% from 1 April 1999 and urged Trusts to increase relevant leads and allowances.
From 1 July 1999 this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.