Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, further to his answer of 4 November, Official Report, c. 488, he will now set out the regional manpower targets for March 1984 to which he referred in his speech of 27 October as having shown an increase of 7,000, Official Report, c. 457.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeRegional health authorities put in suggested manpower targets for March 1984 which showed increases on the March 1983 figures as follows.
The estimates were based on earlier revenue assumptions and would have been subject to extensive discussion in any case. The majority of the increases claimed would have been for those staff who are least directly involved in patient care. This would have followed the trend being followed during the first quarter of the year, before we gave our indicative manpower targets to authorities, when figures now show that the NHS was reducing the numbers of nurses and midwives employed and increasing the numbers of administrative and clerical staff. We have now agreed with the regions that the Government's targets will be achieved by concentrating on numbers of staff not directly involved in patient care.
251W
Regional health authority Projected change between March 1983 and March 1984 (whole time equivalents) 1. Northern +1,010 2. Yorkshire +640 3. Trent +1,130 4. East Anglia +620 5. North-west Thames -190 6. North-east Thames +30 7. South-east Thames -120 8. South-west Thames +10 9. Wessex +840 10. Oxford +1,270 11. Southwestern +410 12. West Midlands +550 13. Mersey +120 14. North Western +750 Total +7,070
England figures Number of residents aged 65 and over in Local Authority Homes Voluntary Homes Private Homes All Homes Number of residents expressed as a rate per 100 population aged 65 and over As at 31 December 1960 *60,993 — — — — 1961 *62,569 — — — — 1962 *65,557 — — — — 1963 *68,192 — — — — 1964 *70,512 — — — — 1965 *74,495 — — — — 1966 *76,262 — — — — 1967 79,082 22,266 15,763 117,111 2.5 1968 81,843 22,568 16,618 121,029 2.8 1969 84,719 23,239 17,369 125,327 2.11 1970 86,857 23,262 18,090 128,209 2.12 As at 31 March 1972 89,574 23,887 18,820 132,281 2.15 1973 90,758 23,418 19,750 133,926 2.14 1974 92,462 22,708 18,926 134,096 2.11 1975 95,113 22,454 18,759 136,326 2.11 1976 99,027 23,788 21,320 144,135 2.20 1977 101,681 24,284 22,921 148,886 2.24 1978 102,804 24,526 24,657 151,987 2.26 1979 102,086 24,716 26,095 152,897 2.24 1980 102,890 25,449 28,854 157,193 2.28 1981 103,090 26,037 31,838 160,965 2.30 1982 103,668 26,116 35,839 165,623 2.33 *Figures not centrally available.