§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what has been the overall annual cost to date of the additional administrative staff employed in the National Health Service since reorganisation;
(2) what increase there has been to date in the number of administrative staff employed in the National Health Service since reorganisation;
(3) what proportion of the annual cost of the National Health Service is represented by administration.
§ Mr. DeakinsThe term "administrative staff" has been taken to refer to staff employed in England within the purview of the National Health Service Administrative and Clerical Staffs Whitley Council. At 30th September 1973, when community health staff were employed by local health authorities, the total staff employed in the services now covered by the National Health Service was 77,108—whole time equivalents. At 30th September 1975, the latest date for which figures are available, the total was 91,865, an increase of 14,757. The wage and salary bills for staff employed by local health authorities prior to reorganisation are not separately identifiable from the accounts of these authorities and it is therefore not possible to give the overall annual cost of the additional staff. The proportion of the annual cost of the National Health Service represented by administration defined in terms of the salaries of these administrative staff was 6.6 per cent. in 1975.