HC Deb 13 December 1989 vol 163 cc679-80W
Mr. Alfred Morris

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are being made to pay interest on backdated regrading awards to midwives subject to delay by the appeals procedures.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

The grading appeals are being dealt with under a longstanding agreement between the management and staff sides of the general Whitley council. It contains no provision for the payment of any interest should appellants be regraded on appeal.

Mr. Alfred Morris

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to health authorities on the application of the grading criteria FII for midwives.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

The grading criteria for the new clinical grading structure were agreed by both staff and management sides of the nursing and midwifery staffs negotiating council. Departmental guidance issued in 1988 on the implementation of the structure applied equally to nurses and to midwives. Copies are available in the Library.

Mr. Alfred Morris

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information he has on the consistency of application of midwives' regrading criteria as between different health authorities;

(2) what representations he has received about the consistency between health authorities in midwives' regrading and from whom; and what response he proposes to make.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Health authorities are expected to adhere to the agreed clinical grading definitions and the management guidance issued by the health Departments in grading midwifery posts. These require posts to be graded in accordance with the particular duties and responsibilities they carry. Variations between authorities in the proportion of posts graded at particular levels will therefore arise, for example because of different approaches to service organisation.

We have received a number of representations on the grading of midwives. The Government have made clear their position in their response to the fourth report from the Social Services Committee Session 1988–89 "Resourcing The National Health Service: Midwives' Regrading 1988–89".