§ Mr. GalbraithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has any plans to review the Whitley council negotiating machinery.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNot at the moment. The White Paper "Working for Patients" records our objective progressively to introduce greater local flexibility into the determination of NHS pay and conditions of service. This will require changes in the nature and scope of national agreements but not necessarily in the present central negotiating machinery.