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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on (a) the number of companies that provide indemnity insurance for nurses and midwives and (b) the policies that are available for this.

Dr Daniel Poulter

The Department does not hold information on the number of companies that provide indemnity insurance for nurses and midwives or details on the policies that are available for this. In National Health Service organisations, it is not necessary for individual employees to take out their own indemnity insurance, unless they also undertake private work, because their employing organisation is, in law, vicariously liable for any negligence arising out of and in the course of their employment. All NHS trusts in England are members of the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts operated on behalf of the Secretary of State by the NHS Litigation Authority.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assistance his Department provides for small independent schools making applications for free school status; and if he will take steps to increase such assistance.

Mr Edward Timpson

The Department for Education provides comprehensive guidance for all free school applicants on the criteria that successful applications need to meet. The Department also provides a grant to the New Schools Network to provide free expert support to applicants to develop their free school application.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to increase the required contributions to NHS pensions before the introduction of the new pension scheme in 2015.

Dr Daniel Poulter

There are no plans to further raise employer or employee contributions to the NHS Pension Scheme before reformed arrangements are introduced on 1 April 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that a proportion of any future underspend within the NHS is allocated to nurses’ pay.

Dr Daniel Poulter

The Department has made available in subsequent years the underspends delivered by local National Health Service organisations, but is not prescriptive on how those organisations use that funding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the pay of community staff nurses rises in line with inflation.

Dr Daniel Poulter

In 2012 the Chancellor announced that public sector pay awards would be capped at an average of 1% in 2013-14 and at an average of up to 1% in 2014-15.

The National Health Service’s greatest asset is its staff who deserve to be properly rewarded for the hard work they do in looking after patients. In the NHS, incremental pay costs almost £1 billion. In our evidence to the Pay Review Bodies we were clear that the NHS is facing the most significant financial challenge in its history and that trusts could not afford to pay all staff 1% which would cost £450 million (about £350 million for non-medical staff) and increments which for most staff is over 3.5% on average. The NHS cannot afford to employ more staff, pay them more and pay for increments.

This year, all NHS staff should receive an additional payment of 1% either through their incremental pay or via a pay award if they are no longer eligible to receive incremental pay.

In the wake of the Francis Inquiry, our first priority must be to protect and properly staff the front line so staff are confident that they will have the right number of colleagues working alongside them in hospitals or in patient’s homes. We have to make difficult decisions in order to protect frontline patient care. Giving all NHS staff a 1% pay award is equivalent to employing around 14,000 new nurses and could result in unsafe care.

We know that NHS staff are disappointed that they did not receive the pay award they were expecting. Our door remains open to discussions with trade unions on how consolidated pay awards for all NHS staff can be made affordable in each of the next two years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many new members of (a) staff and (b) nursing staff have been taken on by the NHS in North Herefordshire in the last 12 months.

Dr Daniel Poulter

The information is available neither in the format requested nor specifically for the North Herefordshire area. Wye Valley NHS Trust provides health services across Herefordshire and further afield. 2gether NHS Foundation Trust provides social and mental health care services across Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

Information on how many new members of staff and doctors and nursing staff have been taken on by Wye Valley NHS Trust and 2gether NHS Foundation Trust from January 2013 to January 2014 is shown in the following table:

	Joiners between January 2013 and January 2014
Total NHS staff (excluding Bank, Locums and Trainee Doctors):
Wye Valley NHS Trust	336
2gether NHS Foundation Trust	162
of which:
Hospital and Community Health Service doctors (excluding Locums and Trainees):
Wye Valley NHS Trust	9
2gether NHS Foundation Trust	8
Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff:
Wye Valley NHS Trust	120
2gether NHS Foundation Trust	37

Source:

Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), provisional monthly NHS workforce data

Notes:

1. Turnover data is based on headcount.

2. Figures are for staff that have joined from outside each NHS trust.

Monthly data:

1. As from 21 July 2010, the HSCIC has published experimental, provisional monthly NHS workforce data (experimental tag has been removed from 24 April 2012)

2. As expected with provisional data, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved

3. The monthly workforce data is not directly comparable with the annual workforce census; it only includes those staff on the Electronic Staff Record i.e. it does not include Primary care staff or Bank staff. It also includes locum doctors (not counted in the annual census).

4. There are also new methods of presenting data (headcount methodology is different and there is now a role count). This information is available from September 2009 onwards at:

www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/provisionalmonthlyhchsworkforce

Data quality:

The HSCIC seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will discuss with (a) the Whitbourne Independent School and Hub and (b) other projects whose applications for free school status were turned down those applicants’ feedback on how the application process can be made easier for small independent schools.

Mr Edward Timpson

The Department for Education welcomes all feedback on its processes and routinely surveys both successful and unsuccessful free school applicants to ensure the application process remains rigorous and fair and that only the strongest applications are approved.

The Whitbourne Independent School and Hub unsuccessfully applied to the New School Network’s development programme, but has not applied to the Department of Education to open a free school. It is welcome to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-05-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to give free schools more flexibility on requirements relating to (a) the involvement of volunteers and (b) provision of flexi-school places.

Mr Edward Timpson

Volunteers in free schools, like maintained schools, can work alongside paid staff members to offer a range of skills and experience that can enhance pupils’ learning. We encourage skilled members of the community to take up a range of voluntary roles in schools from being governors to listening to children read. The Government has reformed child protection policies to remove bureaucracy and enable managers to use their judgement about the checks and supervision required for each individual depending on their circumstances.

The free school programme encourages innovation and the decision to offer flexi-school places or how to deploy volunteers is one for individual head teachers. However, the free school criteria requires all applicants to meet rigorous standards including demonstrating how they would ensure a high quality education for every pupil and outlining a sustainable staffing structure.