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 impact of pay on the retention and recruitment of NHS staff.

In reaching their recommendations the independent pay review bodies consider a number of factors, including recruitment and retention. Today I announced that the government would accept the NHS Pay Review Body and Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration recommendations in full.

Alongside pay we continue to invest in recruitment and retention, backed by our record £39 billion investment in the NHS over the next three years. There are over 4,000 more doctors and over 9,600 more nurses working in the NHS compared to last year.