HC Deb 23 March 1987 vol 113 c18W
17. Sir Raymond Gower

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the latest available information regarding the numbers of doctors and nurses employed in hospitals in Wales; and how these compare with the numbers so employed in 1979.

Mr. Mark Robinson

At 30 September 1986, the number of medical staff employed in the hospital service in Wales, measured in whole-time equivalents, was 2,062, compared with 1,786 in September 1979—an increase of 15.4 per cent. The latest figures for nursing staff employed in the hospital service in Wales relate to September 1985; after adjustment for the reduction in working hours in 1980, the whole-time equivalent figure for 1985 is 20,812, compared with 18,035 in September 1979, again an increase of 15.4 per cent.