§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the level of salaries that are being paid to overseas doctors and nurses who are recruited through agencies; if he will make a statement on his Department's review of the health funding system; if the new funding system will target funds in areas of poor health; and if it will take into account(a) the number of people in each area who have access to private medical care and (b) the early death rates in areas with high levels of deprivation. [51276]
§ Mr. HuttonDoctors and nurses recruited through international recruitment exercises should be paid in accordance with existing National Health Service pay arrangements.
We allocate funding to health authorities and primary care trusts on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A wide-ranging review of the weighted capitation formula used to allocate resources is currently taking place. A key criterion of the new formula will be to contribute to the reduction of avoidable health inequalities.
It is too soon to predict the outcome of the review. However, the intention is that following the review, the new formula will be ready for 2003–04 allocations.