§ Mr. Geraint HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the figure for the number of student nurses in Wales; how that figure is expected to change over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Grist[holding answer 6 July 1988]: The number of student nurses in Wales studying for a first level registration as at May 1988 was 2,785.
Figures are not yet available to show how numbers are expected to change over the next five years. Nurse training in Wales is provided in a number of schools managed by individual health authorities, and future intakes are determined by the operational requirements and service proposals of the authorities concerned. The information requested is currently being collated at the all-Wales level through a manpower resource planning exercise involving all health authorities and will be available later in the year.