HC Deb 27 March 1928 vol 162 cc321-2W
Mr. GRIFFITHS

asked the Minister of Health whether, as all the nurses who are heads of the general Nursing Council office staff are members of the College of Nursing, Limited, he can state if it is intended that all the highly paid posts shall, with his approval, be kept exclusively for members of that limited liability company, or whether other registered nurses who do not belong to it are to be allowed to participate in the work of the council in some of the remunerative posts created from time to time?

Mr. CHAMBERLAIN

Except as regards the appointment of registrar and as regards members of staff and scales of salary, I have no jurisdiction over appointments to the staff of the General Nursing Council, nor any information as to the intentions of the council in the matter.

Mr. HAYDAY

asked the Minister of Health whether, in consideration of the fact that in October, 1922, the registered nurses of England and Wales were paying the salaries of a staff of 30 persons in the General Nursing Council offices, including a registrar at £550, an assistant registrar at £300, a registration clerk at £260, and a registrar's secretary at £250 per annum, and this although less than 7,000 names are included in the first register, he will state what necessity there was for calling in an expert to set the General Nursing Council office in order after it had been running nearly one and a half years; how long did this gentleman take for this work; and what was the cost to the nurses?

Mr. CHAMBERLAIN

I am informed that the expert was called in as the result of a unanimous decision of the council at the end of last September. The report was received on the 24th November. The cost was £83. The matter was wholly within the powers of the council, and it is not for me to express, any views as to the necessity of the step taken.