Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of changes to (a) pension contributions and (b) overall pay for nursing staff at the next pay settlement.

The current member contribution structure in the NHS Pension Scheme has been in place since 1 April 2015. The NHS Pension Scheme is a mutual scheme for the benefit of the National Health Service workforce, and the contribution structure is designed to cover the average 9.8% employee contribution towards the cost of the generous benefits provided to members.

The NHS Pension Scheme Advisory Board, a statutory body made up of employer and staff representatives, has been asked to make recommendations on the future structure of employee contributions to be implemented from 1 April 2022. The Department expects to consult on proposals for changes to the employee contribution rate structure during 2021, following consideration of those recommendations.

To protect jobs, pay rises in the rest of the public sector will be paused next year, with the exception of those on lower incomes and NHS workers. The NHS Pay Review Body will report next year and the Government will take their recommendations into account in setting Agenda for Change pay, which includes nurses.