§ Mr. MaxtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give for each year since 1973 the number of doctors employed by the national health service in Scotland.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe information requested is not available centrally for 1973–75. Data relating to each year from 1979 to 1989 are contained in editions of "Scottish Health Service Statistics", copies of which are available in the Library. Figures for 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1990, the latest year for which information is available centrally, are shown in the table:
Doctors in post in the National Health Service in Scotland: Numbers at 30 September 1976 1977 1978 1990 Hospital and Community 6,226 6,423 6,480 7,302 General medical practitioners 3,041 3,089 3,161 13,735 TOTAL 9,267 9,512 9,641 111,037 1 Provisional.