§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the overall cost and the total number of hours worked by (a) agency nurses and (b) other agency personnel (i) in the National Health Service in England and (ii) in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom in 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[pursuant to his reply, 22 November 1983, c. 112]: The overall costs of agency nursing and midwifery staff and other non-NHS staff in England and the United Kingdom during the financial years ending 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983 are as follows:
1979–80 (£000's)
1980–81 (£000's)
1981–82 (£000's)
1982–83 (£000's)
England Agency nursing and midwifery staff 30,348 44,199 43,288 34,525 Other non-NHS staff 24,892 23,949 21,356 24,751 United Kingdom Agency nursing and midwifery staff * 46,547 45,983 37,020 Other non-NHS staff * 28,672 26,852 30,496 * Not applicable. Information is not held centrally on the total number of hours worked during a year by agency staff, nor the numbers of agency staff employed, other than nursing and midwifery staff. The figures given show in whole-time equivalent terms the numbers of agency nursing and midwifery staff as at 30 September each year.
1979 1980 1981 1982 England 4,020 4,220 3,760 3,040 United Kingdom 4,130 4,350 3,880 3,100