Written question asked by John Hume (Social Democratic & Labour Party) on Friday, 25 June 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 July 2004. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 July 2004 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.

Northern Ireland Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what procedures are in place to ensure that nurses' salaries claimed by general practices are paid at the salary levels claimed from the health boards.

Answer: Mr. Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what procedures are in place to ensure that nurses' salaries claimed by general practices are paid at the salary levels claimed from the health boards. [181573] Angela Smith: With the implementation of the new GMS contract with effect from 1 April 2004, the funding to meet the costs of all staff employed by general practices, including nursing staff, is no longer claimed back from Health and Social Services Boards. Instead this is provided by way of a global sum direct to each practice and it is then a matter for the individual practices to decide how that funding should be spent on staffing. The amount allocated to each practice is calculated using a workload allocation formula which is based on the practice population, weighted for factors that influence relative patient needs and other costs.

Secondary information