The Health Secretary knows well that seven-day working has absolutely nothing to do with his proposed new contract. The Health Committee recently visited Salford Royal hospital, to which he referred earlier and which is already running a seven-day service on the existing contract. His petulant rejection of the all-party proposals...

The Health Secretary knows well that seven-day working has absolutely nothing to do with his proposed new contract. The Health Committee recently visited Salford Royal hospital, to which he referred earlier and which is already running a seven-day service on the existing contract. His petulant rejection of the all-party proposals...

Is it not at the very least odd that the Secretary of State yet again chooses to stay away and not come before the House to answer questions on this very important subject? As a former Health Minister, I know how difficult the BMA can be, but this would seem...

Is it not at the very least odd that the Secretary of State yet again chooses to stay away and not come before the House to answer questions on this very important subject? As a former Health Minister, I know how difficult the BMA can be, but this would seem...

I am pleased to see some of my west country colleagues here and to see the Minister in her place.

In May, the BBC asked the Deputy Prime Minister about regional pay, and he could not have been clearer:

“There is going to be no regional pay system. That is not going...

I am pleased to see some of my west country colleagues here and to see the Minister in her place.

In May, the BBC asked the Deputy Prime Minister about regional pay, and he could not have been clearer:

“There is going to be no regional pay system. That is not going...

I am not prepared to reveal the identities of those people without their permission. I have already written to the Secretary of State and his predecessor, and I will come in a moment to the way that they responded, which was totally unsatisfactory. However, I have given the Minister the...

I am not prepared to reveal the identities of those people without their permission. I have already written to the Secretary of State and his predecessor, and I will come in a moment to the way that they responded, which was totally unsatisfactory. However, I have given the Minister the...

Yes, indeed I do congratulate the trusts in Torbay, which have held out against the pressure to join this cartel. I hope very much that the hon. Gentleman will put his money where his mouth is and join Labour MPs in the Division Lobby later today, when we will have...

Yes, indeed I do congratulate the trusts in Torbay, which have held out against the pressure to join this cartel. I hope very much that the hon. Gentleman will put his money where his mouth is and join Labour MPs in the Division Lobby later today, when we will have...

Yes, I absolutely agree: the whole thing has been handled extremely badly by the trusts involved.

If the proposals go through, the trusts involved are likely to see an exodus of staff, not only to other regions, but, as the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr Sanders) suggested, to trusts in the...

Yes, I absolutely agree: the whole thing has been handled extremely badly by the trusts involved.

If the proposals go through, the trusts involved are likely to see an exodus of staff, not only to other regions, but, as the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr Sanders) suggested, to trusts in the...

The tariff is a separate issue, but that was an interesting intervention, because, for the first time, we had a Conservative MP actually speaking out in favour of regional pay in the NHS. That is not Government policy, and in all the correspondence that I have had from Ministers, they...

The tariff is a separate issue, but that was an interesting intervention, because, for the first time, we had a Conservative MP actually speaking out in favour of regional pay in the NHS. That is not Government policy, and in all the correspondence that I have had from Ministers, they...

I am afraid the hon. Gentleman is wrong: the FT legislation allows FTs to pay wages that are as good as, or better than, those under Agenda for Change, so the claim often made by Liberal Democrats, who feel very uncomfortable being part of a Government who support regional pay...

I am afraid the hon. Gentleman is wrong: the FT legislation allows FTs to pay wages that are as good as, or better than, those under Agenda for Change, so the claim often made by Liberal Democrats, who feel very uncomfortable being part of a Government who support regional pay...

The Minister is quoting me inaccurately.

The Minister is quoting me inaccurately.

I said I have never received so many e-mails of such strength of feeling, individually written, that were not part of a campaign such as on hunting, but were from individual, hard-working staff in the NHS writing to me about their experiences and their anger. The Minister should take note...

I said I have never received so many e-mails of such strength of feeling, individually written, that were not part of a campaign such as on hunting, but were from individual, hard-working staff in the NHS writing to me about their experiences and their anger. The Minister should take note...

The Minister sounds, from what she is saying, and what she said a little earlier, as if she supports the south-west cartel, which is an interesting development in Government policy; but she also says that she wants progress at the national talks. How does she think that having a parallel...

The Minister sounds, from what she is saying, and what she said a little earlier, as if she supports the south-west cartel, which is an interesting development in Government policy; but she also says that she wants progress at the national talks. How does she think that having a parallel...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the provisions of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 apply to staff contracted under the national retail model for equipment services to provide (a) complex and (b) simple aids for daily living.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the provisions of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 apply to staff contracted under the national retail model for equipment services to provide (a) complex and (b) simple aids for daily living.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of employees in his Department (a) are on a flexible working contract, (b) are on a job share employment contract and (c) work from home for more than four hours per week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of employees in his Department (a) are on a flexible working contract, (b) are on a job share employment contract and (c) work from home for more than four hours per week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the outcome of negotiations on the general practitioner contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the outcome of negotiations on the general practitioner contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will breakdown by primary care trust the cost to his Department of delivery of the new GP contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will breakdown by primary care trust the cost to his Department of delivery of the new GP contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department made of the cost of the new contract for general practitioners that came into effect in April 2004 before its introduction; and how much it cost in each subsequent year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department made of the cost of the new contract for general practitioners that came into effect in April 2004 before its introduction; and how much it cost in each subsequent year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on clinical outcomes in primary care of the new GP contract in the last three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on clinical outcomes in primary care of the new GP contract in the last three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to make work more family-friendly for NHS staff in the (a) Barnet Chase Farm hospital, (b) Royal Free hospital and (c) Barnet primary care trust; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to make work more family-friendly for NHS staff in the (a) Barnet Chase Farm hospital, (b) Royal Free hospital and (c) Barnet primary care trust; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5th July 2007, Official Report, column 1183W, on general practitioners: conditions of employment, what his Department's (a) highest and (b) lowest estimate was of the effect the new contract for general practitioners would have on (i) average...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5th July 2007, Official Report, column 1183W, on general practitioners: conditions of employment, what his Department's (a) highest and (b) lowest estimate was of the effect the new contract for general practitioners would have on (i) average...