§ Mr. Kirkwoodasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will make a statement on the pay, conditions and hours of service of operating department assistants in the National Health Service;
(2) if he will list in the Official Report for each year since 1979 the number of operating department assistants leaving the service with the corresponding figures for recruitment.
§ Mrs. CurrieRemuneration and conditions of service of operating department assistants are matters for the Professional and Technical Staffs `B' Whitley Council. A copy of the council handbook has been placed in the Library. Information about such staff leaving and entering the National Health Service is not collected centrally. Over the past few years the number of those employed in England has remained constant at around 2,700.