To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incentives are being offered to nurses to remain in the nursing profession, in the light of Project 2000; and if he will a statement.

Our aim is to ensure the Health Service's ability to recruit and retain the staff it needs. We have increased the pay of nursing staff by an average of 43 per cent. in real terms since 1979. The new grading structures for clinical and educational staff allow nurses to be better rewarded for the work they do and provide improved career prospects. The current pilot scheme of flexible pay supplements for nursing and midwifery staff is intended to improve retention and re-entry rates in areas where there are special difficulties. There is also an increased emphasis on the importance of providing flexible working arrangements and improved facilities for re-entry after breaks in service, on which the national steering group on equal opportunities for women in the NHS has published advice.