§ 55. Mr. Parkinasked the Minister of Labour what is the declared shortage of nurses in hospitals in Gloucestershire; how many trained nurses in that county are employed in surgeries and first-aid stations attached to factories; what is the total number of workers at these factories; and what was the number of nurses and workers in 1944.
§ Mr. IsaacsThe number of vacancies for full-time nurses in hospitals in Gloucestershire notified to my Department is 235. As regards the other parts of the Question, I am having inquiries made and will write to my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. ParkinIn view of the appalling figures in the first part of the Minister's answer, will he not look very carefully to see whether he can "scrape the barrel" a little bit from the other establishments?
§ Mr. IsaacsIt is almost a question of rolling out the barrel, not scraping it. We are faced with this very extreme difficulty in all areas and we try to ensure that whatever staff is available is shared as equitably as possible.