§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give for each year since 1979 the number of nurses who have completed a training course for the state registered qualification in (a) the Royal Masonic hospital, (b) Cheadle Royal hospital, (c) St. Andrew's hospital (Northampton) and (d) any other private hospitals.
England and Wales 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 *1984 Registered General Nurse 13,642 14,169 14,733 14,167 16,328 14,661 Registered Mental Nurse 2,510 2,483 2,503 2,567 2,638 2,198 Registered Mental Handicap Nurse 845 756 731 713 793 660 Registered Sick Childrens Nurse 647 736 675 705 800 655 Total 17,644 18,144 18,642 18,152 20,559 18,174 * Provisional figures. These figures include a small proportion (about 1.5 per cent.) of nurses admitted to the Register who were trained in Her Majesty's Forces, Independent Hospitals, Special Hospitals and other non-NHS establishments. From 1 July 1983 the existing Register and Roll were replaced by a single professional Register. The information provided above excludes those registered nurses who have completed a two year course and would have previously been admitted to the Roll.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the total number of nursing jobs lost for each of the past three years in each regional health authority.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[pursuant to his reply, 24 October 1984, c. 610]: We do not collect centrally detailed information about each nursing post. The total nurber of nursing and midwifery staff employed in regional health authorities in England increased between September 1981 and June 1984—the latest figures available—by about 4,000 (whole-time equivalents, excluding agency staff).