Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the mileage allowance for NHS staff in the context of rising fuel costs.

The reimbursement of travel costs is addressed in the NHS Terms and Conditions, agreed by employers and the National Health Service trades unions. The current rate for staff who use their vehicles to make journeys in the performance of their duties is 56 pence per mile, which is above the HM Revenue and Customs approved mileage rate of 45 pence per mile. This rate reduces after 3,500 miles to 20 pence per mile. The NHS Terms and Conditions sets out the process for reviewing the rate of reimbursement every six months, which includes reviewing fluctuations in fuel prices.

The NHS Staff Council recently issued a statement to facilitate local discussions on temporary options, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsemployers.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/009%20NHS%20SC%20-%20Joint%20statement%20on%20reimbursement%20of%20travel%20costs%20in%20England%20MAY%202022.pdf

This includes a commitment for the NHS Staff Council to write to the Department to seek a remit and determine the scope for a possible review.