§ Mr. George Grantasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the total number of persons employed in the National Health Service in the Northern Region in each of the last five years and the percentage involved in administration.
§ Mr. DeakinsThe figures prior to 1975 are not strictly comparable because of National Health Service reorganisation and the transfer of staff that took place from local authority health departments. Otherwise the information requested is as follows:
Year (30th September) Number of staff employed (whole time equivalent)* Administrative and clerical staff as percentage of total† 1973 37,537 8.5 1974 39,233 9.4 1975 47,156 11.0 1976 47,025 11.7 1977 47,295 11.7 * Excludes general medical, dental and other practitioners. † There is no way of distinguishing "administrators" from the general class of administrative and clerical staff as there is no agreed definition of an administrator for this purpose.