"Agenda for Change" (Hansard, 2 February 2004)

§ Mr. Norman
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected total(a) wage and (b) administration costs for implementation of the "Agenda for Change" are; and whether these costs have changed after evaluation of the 12 early implementer sites. [150642]

§ Mr. Hutton
The total annual costs of the proposed new national health service pay system, "Agenda for Change", in England are estimated to be just under £1 billion by 2005–06 (compared with costs in 2002–03). The Department of Health, NHS employer representatives and NHS trades unions are monitoring closely the cost impact in the 12 'early implementer' sites, but it is too early to re-assess the national cost estimates in the light of experience in these sites. The cost estimate excludes non-recurrent costs involved in implementing the new system, which are difficult to estimate accurately and are being tested through the `early implementer' process.

§ Mr. Norman
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been allocated to each(a) primary care trust, (b) acute and specialist hospital trust, (c) mental health trust, (d) ambulance trust and (e) strategic health authority in England for each of the next five years to implement the "Agenda for Change" programme. [151143]

§ Mr. Hutton
Additional funding, worth 0.8 per cent. of main allocations, has been allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs) in 2004–05 and a further 0.8 per cent. in 2005–06 to cover the costs of implementing "Agenda for Change" in acute and specialist hospital trusts, mental health trusts, ambulance trusts and PCTs themselves. Funding for implementation costs in strategic health authorities is currently being assessed but has not yet been allocated.

§ Mr. Norman
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of developing the nationally agreed job profiles for the "Agenda for Change" programme has been. [151145]

§ Mr. Hutton
National job profiles for the proposed new national health service pay system, "Agenda for Change", have been developed in partnership between representatives of the United Kingdom Health Departments, the NHS Modernisation Agency, NHS trade unions and NHS employing organisations. It is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the costs incurred by these organisations in releasing staff for this purpose.
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§ Mr. Norman
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much his Department has spent on knowledge and skills framework training for staff and managers in the 12 early implementer sites as part of the "Agenda for Change" programme; and what his estimate is of the total cost to the NHS of knowledge and skills framework staff training; [151146]
(2) how much has been spent on job evaluation training for staff and managers in the 12 early implementer sites as part of the "Agenda for Change" programme; and what his estimate is of the total cost to the NHS for staff training in job evaluation. [151147]

§ Mr. Hutton
The direct costs so far incurred centrally in providing training in use of the proposed new national health service job evaluation system and NHS knowledge and skills framework are around £256,000. This excludes the costs incurred by NHS organisations in making staff available to receive training.

§ Mr. Norman
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in the 12 early implementer sites have had a reduction in pay consequent on the "Agenda for Change" programme; and how many staff in the NHS(a) immediately after implementation and (b) after April 2011 will have a reduction in pay consequent on the programme. [151148]

§ Mr. Hutton
As a result of agreed pay protection arrangements, none of the national health service staff in the 12 'early implementer' sites will have had a reduction in pay as a result of the "Agenda for Change" pay modernisation programme, nor will any other NHS staff receive a reduction in pay after implementation of the proposed new pay system. Where, in a minority of cases, staff need to have their pay protected, there will be a review of their skills, knowledge and role as soon as possible during the period of protection. This will be used to assess whether they can be re-assigned to a more highly weighted job or offered development and training to fit them for a more highly weighted job. This is designed to keep to an absolute minimum the number of staff, if any, who are still covered by the protection arrangements immediately before those expire in April 2011.