HL Deb 13 January 1976 vol 367 cc115-6WA
Baroness ROBSON of KIDDINGTON

asked Her Majesty's Government:

To explain the discrepancy between the figures relating to the number of people specifically employed in the Health Service Division of the Department of Health and Social Security given in reply to her Written Question of 9th December 1974 (Hansard, Vol. 355, col. 530) as 6.000 on the 1st October 1972 and 6.750 on the 1st October 1974, and the figures given by the Government in the Health Service Debate on 3rd December 1975 (Hansard, Vol. 366 col. 682), as 4,664 on 1st April 1974 and 5,000 now.

Lord WELLS-PESTELL

The figures quoted in the recent Health Services debate were the approximate numbers of staff employed in connection with health matters at Headquarters only, including an apportionment of staff in those divisions which are common to both Health and Social Security.

In contrast, the figures quoted in my reply to the noble Baroness's Question of 9th December 1974 were estimates on the same basis of the total number of staff engaged on all health activities throughout the Department. They included for example some 900 employed in the Artificial Limb and Appliance Centres and approaching 500 in the Health Services Superannuation Division (at Blackpool).