§ Mr. PatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many consultants and doctors within the 277W Trent regional health authority are currently suspended on full pay on disciplinary grounds; and for how long the individual suspensions have been in operation;
(2) if he will obtain from the Trent regional health authority, and publish in the Official Report, the cost of the suspension on full pay of three consultants and one associate specialist in the authority, one of whom has been suspended since June 1982; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Newton[holding answer 29 January 1988]: Information supplied by Trent regional health authority shows there are four consultants and one associate specialist who have been suspended on full pay since respectively June 1982, April 1985, March 1987, April 1987, and January 1986. The total estimated salary costs of the suspensions to date amount to £455,797.
In the longest case of suspension the Secretary of State confirmed, in February 1986, the health authority's dismissal of a consultant after normal disciplinary and appeals procedures had been followed.
At cash prices Gross expenditure Net expenditure 1978–79 1987–88 1978–79 1987–88 £ £ £ £ (estimated) (estimated) (i) Average expenditure per head 142 377 139 363 (ii) Per income taxpayer1 308 869 301 836 (iii) Per household2 400 998 391 961 (iv) Per family of four3 569 1,508 556 1,453 At 1987–88 prices4 (i) Average expenditure per head 289 377 283 363 (ii) Per income taxpayer1 627 869 614 836 (iii) Per household2 812 998 795 961 (iv) Per family of four3 1,157 1,508 1,132 1,453 Notes: 1Number of income taxpayers 1978–79, 25.9 million; 1987–88, 24.7 million (projected)—Inland Revenue. 2Number of households 1978–79, 20.0 million; 1987–88, 21.5 million—Department of Environment. 3Notional family of four = per capita spending x 4. 4Revalued in line with GDP deflator at market prices. All figures relate to the United Kingdom.