Perhaps I should begin by declaring an interest: my wife was a nurse throughout her life until she had to retire recently, and many of the nurses who worked with her continue to be close friends to us as a family. And, as a result of that, I have seen, I have been an eyewitness to, the impact of the pandemic on them as nurses over the past 18 months. On a personal level, I've seen the strain that they've suffered, the challenges that they've had to face, and the fatigue that they are now feeling. And the things that I have seen have been confirmed by the recent survey by the RCN, which demonstrates that 38 per cent of nurses are considering leaving the profession because of difficult working conditions and huge work pressures, with 58 per cent of them believing that an entirely insufficient wage is the root of their discontent.

The failure to retain and recruit staff, as we've already heard, and the fact that so many are away from their posts because of illness, has exacerbated the situation, which means that there is now a crisis in the health and care field. And there's no doubt in my mind that giving a pay increase greater than the 3 per cent recommended would be a way of retaining experienced staff and would demonstrate that they are respected, and would attract younger people into the profession.

As has already been said, the proposal of a 3 per cent wage increase means a real-terms cut in their wages, on top of the 1.25 per cent increase in national insurance contributions, as well as the significant increase in living costs.