asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he has taken in response to the campaign by the Royal College of Nursing to increase the mileage allowance for community nurses.

Mileage allowances payable to NHS staff in Great Britain are negotiated in the General Whitley Council, and this year successive increases have agreed to operate from 1 April, 1 June and 1 July, which, in all, gave increases of the order of 25 to 30 per cent. These improvements took account of rises in the price of petrol as well as increases in VAT and interest rates.