Barclay blames Treasury for delay in pay review guidance

SUBMISSIONS to next year’s pay review bodies have been held up by the Treasury, the Health Secretary has said, despite repeated promises to speed up the process.

Steve Barclay said that recommendations for next year’s pay deal have been delayed by attempts to form a “co-ordinated” approach across departments, insisting the health submission was completed some time ago.

Yesterday it emerged that several departments – including the Department of Health and Social Care – have missed the Jan 11 deadline for submitting evidence on next year’s pay award.

The head of the Commons health committee said he was “astonished” by the three-week delay, after health ministers had previously pledged to expedite the process in an attempt to break the deadlock with unions.

NHS workers are planning their biggest strikes yet, as ambulance workers and nurses combine walkouts next week. The health service is expected to be hit hard by today’s teacher strikes with many staff who have children forced to take time off as schools close.

Mr Barclay told MPS that the delays were caused by a desire to have “further engagement with trade unions” about the process, and to have a co-ordinated approach across government.

“Once we completed ours, some time ago, there’s been a need to wait for other departments to have those discussions. That is, across government, a process co-ordinated by the Treasury. Once the Treasury is happy for the department to submit this, we are ready to do so.”

The Treasury made its own submission almost a month ago, cautioning against rises beyond 3.5 per cent.

Philippa Hird, chairman of the NHS Pay Review Body, told MPS she had written to the minister to express her concerns about the missed deadline.

Steve Brine, chairman of the health select committee, said the absence of key evidence left the review body “making chocolate without cocoa beans”.

The Treasury said officials “decided to take the step to engage with unions on our respective evidence so it can be as informed as possible,” promising to publish its findings “in due course”.