MP appalled at NHS fuel expenses

Tuesday, 25 January 2011 12:01 AM

By Alex Stevenson

NHS employees should be given a uniform fuel allowance to combat "huge local variations" in existing expenses regimes, an MP has said.

Conservative Robert Halfon told politics.co.uk he was concerned that many NHS workers, especially mental health services employees, were not getting a fair deal from their bosses over petrol costs.

Some mental health professionals in his constituency of Harlow were only receiving 12p a mile, he claimed. Prices at the local pumps have now risen to £1.33 a litre for diesel.

"For them to not be getting a proper fuel allowance when they're using their car for work, not for pleasure, seems to me incredibly unjust and unfair," Mr Halfon said.

"I was astonished to hear the fuel allowance they seems to be peanuts... I think public health professionals need to be supported, especially when they're out and about in their work."

Mr Halfon has tabled a Commons motion on the issue which calls on the government to review the current rates of reimbursement.

A recent review by the NHS Staff Council proposed a simpler system which applies the same rate of reimbursement to all staff, regardless of road mileage.

Rates are set by HM Revenue and Customs and applied by the NHS Employers organisation. Some staff are paid on locally negotiated rates, however, with further variations depending on road mileage.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "The new system will be more consistent and deliver a cost-effective way for reimbursing travel costs for staff that use their own vehicles for work purposes. We expect the new system to be implemented in July 2013."

NHS organisations are permitted to agree different arrangements "which provide benefits to staff beyond those provided in the [NHS terms and conditions] handbook or are agreed as operationally preferable", however.

Some staff are not on the national terms and conditions, however. In these cases local arrangements would have to be reviewed locally.

"It's a spaghetti junction of bodies that decide the amount," Mr Halfon added. "I believe in localism... but there can be guidelines and they can be encouraged - dare I say it, nudged - in the right direction."

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