Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in which daily newspapers (1) in the United Kingdom and (2) outside the United Kingdom the vacancies for(a) a senior house officer in anaesthetics and (b) a senior house officer in accident and emergency at the Royal Victoria hospital, Belfast, were advertised; what was the reason for spending public money on such advertisements outside the United Kingdom; and what assessment was made, before advertisements were placed outside the United Kingdom, as to whether there was a shortage of qualified persons in the United Kingdom for such posts.
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§ Mr. NeedhamIn deciding the extent to which any posts should be advertised, Health and Personal Social Services employing authorities in Northern Ireland act in accordance with the Department of Health and Social Service's guidelines on recruitment advertising. These guidelines, which are similar to those which apply in the National Health Service, permit an employing authority to determine the most cost-effective way of advertising posts. The two cases referred to by the hon. Member fall within the jurisdiction of the Eastern health and social services hoard. I am assured that the board took full account both of responses to previous advertisements and of its knowledge of the likely availability of candidates locally in deciding to advertise these two posts. The posts were advertised in theBelfast Telegraph, the British Medical Journal, and the Irish Times.