Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to section 17 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service handbook, amendment number 33, what assessment he has made of the effects of the change in the fuel allowance to 20 pence per mile on retention of nurses in the NHS.

As with all staff covered by the Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, nursing staff incurring motoring costs during their National Health Service duties will receive reimbursement of these costs at the published mileage rates to ensure that they are not out of pocket.

The change in fuel allowance for NHS staff to 20 pence per mile for mileage over 3,500 came into force on 1 July 2014 following a regular review of motoring expenses, based on information provided by the Automobile Association (AA) about the running costs of motor vehicles. This process of six-monthly reviews of motoring costs based on AA information was agreed by trade unions and employers, to ensure that NHS staff are not out of pocket for travel costs incurred in the performance of their NHS duties. In agreeing this system, employers and trade unions have recognised that there will be both upward and downward movement in costs, and subsequent mileage rates. These rates will be reviewed in November 2014, and will again be based on information provided by the AA.

We are unable to correlate the level of reimbursement for motor travel with the rate of recruitment and retention of nurses.

The latest NHS workforce statistics show that there are now over 3,700 more nurses, midwives and health visitors[1] than in May 2010. NHS workforce statistics for July 2014 will be published in October.

[1] Including Health Visitor Minimum Data Set