§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his proposals for increasing nurses' pay. [62491]
§ Mr. MilburnNurses' pay is recommended by the independent review body for nursing staff, midwives, health visitors and the professions allied to medicine. We want to see a fair pay rise for nurses, which is affordable and which will support the modernisation of the National Health Service. We have asked the review body in particular to consider improvements to the starting pay of qualified nurses within an affordable overall pay uplift recommendation for all nurses. The recommendations of the review body will be fully considered when received in the new year.