§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list(a) the number of (i) medical, (ii) dental and (iii) nursing staff suspended or dismissed in the Trent region for each year since 1 January 1993 and (b) the number of staff in each category heard by disciplinary hearing who were not so suspended or dismissed in this period. [40928]
§ Mr. HoramNational health service bodies are separate, autonomous employers and the decision on whether an employee's conduct warrants disciplinary action, and its severity, is a matter for the health authority or trust concerned. Information collected centrally from national health service employers is the number of suspensions of hospital and community medical and hospital dental staff lasting more than six months since 31 March 1995. The number of reported cases in the Trent region from 31 March 1995 to 30 June 1996 is two.