§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales in what ways he proposes to help the area health authorities of Wales meet pay awards and national health service medical inflation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GristHealth authorities in Wales have already benefited from supplementary provision of £11.125 million towards the excess cost of pay awards to staff covered by the review bodies' machinery over and above the allowance for inflation already provided in allocations for 1990–91.
When taken together these extra funds represent a cash increase averaging 7.8 per cent. over last year. This increase, together with the resources which authorities are expected to unlock by cash improvement programmes and income-generation schemes, should be sufficient to meet anticipated inflation and provide for further service developments.
The excess cost of other pay awards which are negotiated through the Whitley machinery have not in the past been met from Exchequer funds. Authorities are represented on Whitley councils and it is therefore appropriate that they should be expected to meet the consequences of settlements to which they are party.