asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will reconsider his decision not to allow employees of the National Health Service, such as nurses, to accept membership of the health boards in Scotland.

No, Sir.

In view of the discussions with the nurses, are not the Government paying too much attention to protocol?

No. Several nurses have already been appointed to health boards, but not nurses employed full-time by the boards. We consider that it would be inappropriate for persons employed by a health board and working in a management relationship with one of its chief officers to serve as a member of the board.

Is it not absurd that there should be on the new boards nurses who are not employed in the health service and that nurses employed by the boards should be excluded? The position is even more absurd when we realise that nurses serve on regional hospital boards. Surely the Secretary of State has made an error on this occasion. Why does he not reverse it?

This applies to other employees as well, and not simply to nurses. The point is that experienced nurses will be members of the boards, and I intend to appoint some more.