§ Mr. Arnoldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the numbers by which consultant posts in the North-West regional health authority have increased and with the ratio of consultant to junior hospital doctor posts.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeOur concern at the present imbalance between the number of posts in the training and in the career grades was expressed in the Government's response to the Fourth Report from the Social Services Committee, 1980–81 Session (Cmnd. 8479). The position in the North-Western region corresponds with the national average. While the rate of expansion in consultant numbers has been faster than the national average there has at the same time been a faster than average growth in the number of training grade posts.