§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the policy of the National Health Service regarding further recruitment of student nurses.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeMany factors affect the future demands for nursing staff and the picture will obviously vary between localities and specialties. At the moment, it is therefore the responsibility of each health authority to determine its policy for the further recruitment of student nurses within the priorities and resources available. The Government's policy of better manpower planning is encouraging health authorities to pay closer attention to the need to match their training programmes to realistic service plans.