§ Mrs. WiseTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether any difficulty is being experienced in retaining the services of National Health Service scientists, namely, medical physicists and biochemists in the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what steps he is taking to improve recruitment and the morale of medical physicists and biochemists in the National Health Service.
§ Mrs. CurrieThere is at present no evidence of general difficulty in recruiting and retaining medical physicists and biochemists. The numbers employed in the NHS in England rose from 1,921 (whole-time equivalent) at 30 September 1985 to 1,943 (whole-time equivalent) at 30 September 1986. The management side of the Scientific and Professional Staffs Whitley Council has recently offered to increase pay rates by 5.5 per cent, and has agreed to undertake a reveiw of recruitment and retention in the light of service needs.