Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department are working on pay negotiations with unions that represent NHS staff.

The Department currently has 34.1 full time equivalent staff working on issues related to industrial relations as part of a wider directorate. This includes the implementation of the Agenda for Change deal, Minimum Service Levels, wider National Health Service pay and contracts, and other NHS employment issues.