§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's policy is on employing secondees from the private sector; how many secondees from the(a) private and (b) public sectors his Department employed in each year since 1997; from which companies and organisations they were seconded; at what level they were employed; and if he will make a statement. [127061]
§ Mr. PearsonThis response covers both the Northern Ireland civil service and the Northern Ireland Office.
Policy on inward secondments is set out both in the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code and in the GB equivalent. Inward secondments are generally used to meet particular business needs, for example where there is a shortage of skills or expertise to undertake particular work.
Health and social services trusts Doctors Nurses Other health care professionals Other employees Altnagelvin Hospitals Trust 1,100 10,867 2,171 17,430 Armagh and Dungannon Trust 297 8,581 1,824 10,871 Belfast City Hospital Trust 997 23,297 7,976 18,883 Causeway Trust 70 16,678 3,197 24,684.5 Craigavon Area Hospital Trust 733.4 9,018.4 2,546.1 9,788.1 Craigavon and Banbridge Community Trust 143.8 3,505.7 977.6 11,368.3 Down and Lisburn Trust 352 14,712 3,281 29,254 Foyle Trust 80.8 8,886.2 1,620.7 19,244.2 Greenpark Trust 86 12,291.9 2,639.9 3,385.7 Homefirst Community Trust 532 15,464 3,202 40,991 Mater Infirmorum Trust1 310 4,771.8 941.21 6,532.94 Newry and Mourne Trust 158 10,326 4,470 29,937 North and West Belfast Trust 183 8,698.1 5,953.9 37,160 Royal Group of Hospitals Trust 951.5 25,905.4 8,341.4 47,270.4 South and East Belfast Trust 230.8 13,509.6 6,786.5 19,068.4 Sperrin Lakeland Trust 324.9 20,804.5 2,359.5 19,767.7 Ulster Community and Hospitals 511.1 21,468.2 12,498.9 26,176.4 United Hospitals Trust 770 19,111 4,189 23,107 Northern Ireland Ambulance Service3 n/a n/a 9,047.38 (hours) 701.88 (hours) 1 Period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003. 2 This figure does not include community care assistants. 3 The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service was only able to provide information in hours due to the shift pattern worked by employees. The figures provided are for year ending May 2003.
§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many general practitioners in Northern Ireland are on sick leave from work. [124521]
§ Angela SmithNot all GPs report when they are unable to attend work due to sickness. The total number of GPs on sick absence is therefore not known. As at 30 June 2003, the Central Services Agency is aware of 18 general practitioners absent from their practice due to sickness and is paying for the employment of locums.