NHS Pensions

Debate between Baroness Merron and Baroness Altmann

Thursday 3rd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I certainly agree with my noble friend. This runs across all public service pensions. Indeed, it is not just the issue of pensions but the administration and support given. To the point raised by both my noble friend and the noble Baroness, Lady Watkins, I should add that the NHS Business Services Authority and the department are in regular contact with the Pensions Regulator on delivery.

I can certainly give the assurance to my noble friend that we are working cross-government to ensure that these difficulties are corrected as soon as possible. I absolutely recognise the inconvenience, uncertainty and potential distress that have been caused to individuals. As I say, this has a root in it being discriminatory from 2014-15. That said, it falls to us to put that right.

[Baroness Altmann (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, does the noble Baroness agree that at the heart of this problem is the complexity of our pension system and the tax rules, which have undermined the generosity of public sector pensions, which are meant to be a really generous benefit but have turned into a hugely unwelcome cost for our most senior medical staff and nursing staff, as well as others in the public sector? Is she looking, at the same time as trying to correct some of these errors, at finding other ways of improving the problems in the scheme, which will remain even after the statements are issued, such as doctors and nurses themselves having to go on to an HMRC tool to retrospectively adjust their annual allowances for the various tax years going back all those years? Will there be consideration of addressing the cost of scheme pays? Has consideration been given to providing independent financial advice for senior members of the scheme, who would then have some comfort that what they are frightened of—and is driving early retirement or stopping overtime—is either unnecessary to worry about or can be dealt with in another way?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I very much value the noble Baroness’s expertise in this area, so I particularly value her acknowledgement of the complexity of the scheme. Certainly, in our efforts to support the workforce, we consider all matters to make working for the NHS better and simpler. There has been talk—the noble Baroness did not quite say this—that pension issues are impacting NHS activity. There is no evidence of that. Nor is there any clear evidence from NHS payroll data that pension tax rules limit the activity of, for example, the consultant workforce overall. All that said, I, as ever, will be pleased to take away the suggestions that the noble Baroness makes and to have them looked into.

Health Research

Debate between Baroness Merron and Baroness Altmann

Wednesday 12th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

Yes, very much so, because it is by doing so that we will improve prevention and make the move from sickness to prevention. I can tell your Lordships’ House that the Government are continuing to support commercial clinical research delivery, including through new NIHR commercial research delivery centres that work with industry and other research infrastructure. I was pleased to visit one of them in Leicester, meet patients and hear how they were very engaged in doing exactly what the noble Lord is referring to.

[Baroness Altmann (Non-Afl)]

My Lords—

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[Baroness Altmann (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, will the Minister join me in acknowledging and applauding the work of charities in health research, particularly those such as Wellbeing of Women, Teenage Cancer Trust, many of the cancer research charities and Alzheimer’s Research UK? I declare my interest, but these are such a cost saver to the NHS.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I certainly associate myself with the noble Baroness’s generous comments about the role of charities. Much of the work that we do in research and innovation is in partnership, including with the third sector, and I thank all those charities for the role that they play.

Carers and Poverty: Carers UK Report

Debate between Baroness Merron and Baroness Altmann

Thursday 21st November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for that and can assure her that I will be discussing that very point with ministerial colleagues and am happy to return to her on it.

[Baroness Altmann (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, particularly today, will the Minister join me in paying tribute to all carers and care workers, paid or unpaid? Does she agree that, with an ageing population, it is long past time to stop treating care as some kind of second-rate service and to give it parity with the NHS? It saves the NHS significant amounts of money, and carer’s allowance is extremely low. Following the recent Budget, care charities will still have to fund the extra national insurance costs, even though NHS workers are exempt.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I, of course, join all noble Lords in paying tribute to care workers, whether paid or unpaid. On paid care workers, that is one of the reasons why, as we move towards a national care service, we have for the first time laid legislation to ensure that there will be a fair pay agreement. On national insurance contributions, I can assure the noble Baroness that the Chancellor considered all the implications of the measures that were announced in the Budget when settlements were made. Further details of those will be announced in due course.

Health and Care Bill

Debate between Baroness Merron and Baroness Altmann

Lords Hansard - Part 2 & Committee stage
Wednesday 26th January 2022 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

My Lords, it is essential that we get the arrangements for the Care Quality Commission right throughout the Bill, and I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, for trying to do that through these amendments. If the health and social care provided is to be of the highest standards, we must ensure, through the powers of scrutiny and review in your Lordships’ House, that we enable the watchdog to have the proper tools and framework to achieve that, so I support the amendments.

As the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, emphasised, this is about putting the responsibility in the right place to ensure that a key inspectorate can do an independent job and support proper integration and delivery. I hope the Minister will accept the good sense in these amendments.

[Baroness Altmann (Con)]

Can I briefly ask my noble friend whether part of the thinking behind the current wording might be that the remit of the CQC may need extending? For example, when it comes to private operators of social care, the CQC currently does not have the power to look at the financial stability of those operators. Is this provision perhaps based on the thought that the Secretary of State may need to widen the remit and powers of the CQC? If not, we will be returning to this at some point.