Oral Answers to Questions

Stella Creasy Excerpts

Tuesday 8th May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Gill Furniss (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough) (Lab)]

4. What assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of NHS bursaries on applications for nursing degrees.

[Stella Creasy (Walthamstow) (Lab/Co-op)]

5. What assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of NHS bursaries on applications for nursing degrees.

[Grahame Morris (Easington) (Lab)]

10. What assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of NHS bursaries on applications for nursing degrees.

--- Later in debate ---

[Stella Creasy]

The NHS already has 34,000 nursing vacancies. Given that there has been a 97% drop in nursing applications from the EU and that studies show that nearly half of all hospital shifts include agency nurses, will the Minister at least admit that cutting the bursary scheme has been a false economy for our NHS?

[Stephen Barclay]

It is not a false economy to increase the supply of nurses, which is what the changes have done. Indeed, they form part of a wider package of measures, including “Agenda for Change”, pay rises and the return to practice scheme, which has seen 4,355 starters returning to the profession. More and more nurses are being trained, which is why we now have over 13,000 more nurses than in 2010.

--- Later in debate ---

[Stephen Barclay]

I very much welcome the progress that my hon. Friend has shared with the House. Many of us will also want to pay tribute to his leadership during his time at the Department in recognising the opportunity for reconfiguration that the capital would unlock and is now delivering.

[Stella Creasy (Walthamstow) (Lab/Co-op)]

T5. On 21 March, the Secretary of State told the House that he would look at the impact of private finance initiative deals on NHS hospital budgets. What has he done since then? How many meetings has he had about the issue? Will he commit not to use PF2 deals, given the concerns?

[Mr Hunt]

I can absolutely commit that we are very conscious of the failings of PFI when we have any discussion about NHS capital funding, including the previous question. We are very conscious of the need not to make the mistakes that saddled the NHS with £71 billion of PFI debt.