HC Deb 11 May 1982 vol 23 c587
9. Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the trends in medical unemployment.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

On the figures available to me, no significant trend of medical unemployment appears to emerge, and I have no evidence of an over-supply of doctors at the moment.

Mrs. Short

I thank the Minister for that reply. Will he bear in mind the considerable unmet needs in many of the shortage specialties and the fact that many general practitioners are working longer than they should do and have longer lists than they should have?

Does he accept that, in preventive medicine, more skilled medical help is needed? Will he continue to tell those sections of the medical profession that suggest that we need to reduce the intake of medical students that their proposals are just not on?

Mr. Clarke

I accept, of course, that there are continuing unmet needs in all those areas. The hon. Lady did not mention the hospital service, where, under this Government, the number of doctors employed has been increased by over 1,700. We should like to make advances in other areas. I am glad that we have the support of the Select Committee, which the hon. Lady chairs, for the target number of medical students that we have set. We shall pursue that policy. We shall reach that target as resources in the education service allow.

Mr. Body

Why does my right hon. Friend not take more credit for what is being done—not only the 1,000 more doctors, but the 5,000 more medical auxiliaries, and the 8,000 more nurses? Why do we not hear more about that?

Mr. Clarke

We should take full credit. In fact, the figure is 34,000 extra nurses in terms of whole-time equivalents in the NHS. Much of the campaigning that is directed against the Government in this respect overlooks the fact that we have given high priority to and increased spending in real terms on the National Health Service. That spending is showing results, because there are now more people at the sharp end of patient care—more doctors, more medical auxiliaries, and more nurses.