Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much was paid into the NHS pension scheme by (1) NHS employers, and (2) NHS pension scheme members, in (a) 2023, and (2) 2024.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows how much was paid into the NHS Pension Scheme in the financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25, broken down by the contributions paid into the scheme by employees and employers:
Financial year | 2024/25 | 2023/24 |
Employer contributions | £17,326,697,000 | £13,764,474,000 |
Employee contributions | £7,152,279,000 | £6,561,252,000 |
The employee contribution figures include the standard employee contributions, added years, additional pension purchases, and early retirement reduction buy‑out contributions. The employer contribution figures include National Health Service employer contributions for exiting staff, as well as other contributions payable on retirement/redundancy.
Annual accounts for the scheme are published for each financial year online and record the total value of all payments made. The annual accounts are available on the GOV.UK website and on the NHS Business Service Authority’s website.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much was paid out to NHS pension scheme members in (1) 2023, and (2) 2024.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the value of pension benefits paid to NHS Pension Scheme members in financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25:
Financial year | 2024/25 | 2023/24 |
Pensions | £13,760,850,000 | £12,577,538,000 |
Commutations and lump sum benefit on retirement | £4,050,330,000 | £3,095,639,000 |
These figures comprise the value of annual pensions and lump sums paid. It does not include other payments made by the scheme such as contribution refunds or pension tax payments to HM Revenue and Customs.
Annual accounts for the scheme are published for each financial year and record the total value of all payments made. The annual accounts are available on the GOV.UK website and on the NHS Business Service Authority’s website.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) NHS-employed doctors, and (2) self-employed GPs who are members of the NHS pension plan, who retired in (a) 2022, (b) 2023, and (c) 2024, were (i) 60 years old and younger, (ii) 61–67 years old, and (iii) 68 years old and over.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of National Health Service employed doctors, and self-employed general practitioners (GPs) who are members of the NHS pension plan, who retired in 2022, 2023, or 2024, and who were aged 60 years old and younger, 61 to 67 years old, or 68 years old and over:
Year | Job | 60 years old and younger | 61 to 67 years old | 68 years old and over |
2022 | Doctor | 2,697 | 962 | 129 |
2022 | GP | 1,113 | 216 | 14 |
2023 | Doctor | 2,970 | 1,155 | 134 |
2023 | GP | 1,244 | 228 | 11 |
2024 | Doctor | 2,962 | 1,227 | 161 |
2024 | GP | 1,189 | 202 | 13 |
The data is unpublished and is provided by the NHS Business Services Authority which administers the NHS Pension Scheme. Normal pension ages vary across the NHS Pension Schemes. In the 1995 section of the legacy scheme, the normal pension age is 60 years old, and in the 2008 section of that scheme, it is 65 years old. In both these sections, actuarially reduced benefits can be taken from 55 years old, or 50 years old in some cases. In the 2015 scheme, the normal pension age is 65 years old or State Pension age, whichever is later, and reduced benefits can be accessed from 55 years old.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much the Department of Health and Social Care spent on research contracts and grants in (1) 2022–23, and (2) 2023–24; and what proportion of that spending went to UK universities.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department spent £1,446 million on research contracts and grants in 2022/23. In 2023/24, the Department spent £1,524 million on research contracts and grants, 32.8% of which went to universities in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 9 February (HL2216), why the information mentioned in the Answer on government expenditure is commercially sensitive.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
At the time of answering, the Department was engaged in commercial negotiations with NHS Supply Chain and their sub-contractors, relating to ongoing storage requirements for the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit. In December 2023, the average per pallet per week cost for equipment in the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit was £5.52.
The Department currently makes payments to NHS Supply Chain in relation to storage of personal protective equipment (PPE). At end of December 2023 there were 492,259 pallets, or 5.1 billion items, of COVID-19 PPE remining in storage. This includes both business as usual and excess stock.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what medical equipment they have donated to Ukraine since 1 January.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department donated no medical equipment to Ukraine during the year 2023.
The Department donated no medical equipment to Ukraine between 1 January 2024 and 29 February 2024. However, it did donate medical equipment in 2022. The Government continues to actively consider options for making donations of surplus medical equipment to Ukraine, in addition to those made in 2022.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what medical equipment they donated to Ukraine during 2023.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department donated no medical equipment to Ukraine during the year 2023.
The Department donated no medical equipment to Ukraine between 1 January 2024 and 29 February 2024. However, it did donate medical equipment in 2022. The Government continues to actively consider options for making donations of surplus medical equipment to Ukraine, in addition to those made in 2022.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 January (HL1768), how many of each of the categories of equipment contained in that answer (1) are being offered or have been offered for sale in the period up to 31 March, (2) have been destroyed, (3) are scheduled for destruction, and (4) have been donated, or will be donated, to medical charities for use overseas, including but not confined to Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The COVID Strategic ICU Reserve was set up in April 2020, in response to shortages in key respiratory equipment and in anticipation of increased demand during the pandemic. Over the last two years, the National Health Service has not needed to access the reserve to manage increases in the numbers of respiratory patients. With lack of demand from the NHS, and increasing costs associated with storing and maintaining ageing equipment, the decision was taken to close the reserve by March 2024.
Information on the money raised from the auction of equipment is not currently available. The following table shows the planned disposal routes for equipment within the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve from 1 December 2023 to 31 March 2024:
| Holdings at December 2023 | Offered or offering for sale | Have been destroyed | Scheduled for destruction | Donated to medical charities for use overseas |
Enteral feed pumps | 1140 | 1025 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Humidifiers | 4714 | 1456 | 0 | 3258 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Anaesthetic | 53 | 17 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Emergency | 5093 | 1140 | 3159 | 792 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - ICU | 3083 | 3075 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Transport | 949 | 148 | 0 | 789 | 0 |
Non-invasive Ventilator (NIV) bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPaP) | 3339 | 3085 | 0 | 252 | 0 |
NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) | 6682 | 0 | 702 | 5980 | 0 |
NIV high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) | 187 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Oxygen concentrators | 2874 | 2861 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Oxygen regulators | 1564 | 1461 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Patient monitors | 2439 | 2353 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Suction pumps | 307 | 289 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Syringe drivers | 21319 | 8000 | 9318 | 3976 | 0 |
Volumetric pumps | 1588 | 1563 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 January (HL1768), how much money has been raised to date from the auction of equipment listed in that answer.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The COVID Strategic ICU Reserve was set up in April 2020, in response to shortages in key respiratory equipment and in anticipation of increased demand during the pandemic. Over the last two years, the National Health Service has not needed to access the reserve to manage increases in the numbers of respiratory patients. With lack of demand from the NHS, and increasing costs associated with storing and maintaining ageing equipment, the decision was taken to close the reserve by March 2024.
Information on the money raised from the auction of equipment is not currently available. The following table shows the planned disposal routes for equipment within the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve from 1 December 2023 to 31 March 2024:
| Holdings at December 2023 | Offered or offering for sale | Have been destroyed | Scheduled for destruction | Donated to medical charities for use overseas |
Enteral feed pumps | 1140 | 1025 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Humidifiers | 4714 | 1456 | 0 | 3258 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Anaesthetic | 53 | 17 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Emergency | 5093 | 1140 | 3159 | 792 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - ICU | 3083 | 3075 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Transport | 949 | 148 | 0 | 789 | 0 |
Non-invasive Ventilator (NIV) bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPaP) | 3339 | 3085 | 0 | 252 | 0 |
NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) | 6682 | 0 | 702 | 5980 | 0 |
NIV high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) | 187 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Oxygen concentrators | 2874 | 2861 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Oxygen regulators | 1564 | 1461 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Patient monitors | 2439 | 2353 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Suction pumps | 307 | 289 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Syringe drivers | 21319 | 8000 | 9318 | 3976 | 0 |
Volumetric pumps | 1588 | 1563 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Markham on 4 January (HL1377) and 24 January (HL1768), under a realistic worst case scenario for Risk 54 (an unmitigated respiratory pandemic) in which 1.34 million people require hospital treatment, how many (1) additional mechanical ventilators, (2) non-invasive ventilators (BiPaP), and (3) NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) units, would be required in addition to those currently held by hospital intensive care units; and what would be the estimated cost, at current prices, of replacing the equipment held in the COVID Strategic Care Unit Reserve.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department continues to plan and prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios, including those caused by respiratory contact and vector-borne pathogens, both influenza and non-influenza related. These plans are built on lessons learned from exercises and incidents, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
NHS England routinely monitor the total number of ventilators available against the number of ventilators in use. NHS England published Adult critical care surge plan guidance in December 2023 which sets out the actions to ensure capacity is mobilised at a sufficient rate to meet increases in demand. In response to any pandemic, NHS England would implement the published surge planning guidance to review capacity and demand within the current context of the situation. A copy of this guidance is attached.
The Department’s COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve was established to operate for a set lifespan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, after which point it would close. Due to lower-than-expected demand for equipment from the stockpile by the National Health Service, the strategic pandemic intensive care unit reserve is now closing in March 2024 and there are no current plans to replace it. No estimate has been made of the cost of replacing it.