§ Sir David PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified accountants are currently employed in the National Health Service and how many extra will be required by April 1991 to implement the Government's White Paper, "Working for Patients."
§ Mr. Mellor[holding answer 18 April 1989]: Information on the numbers of qualified accountants employed by health authorities is not routinely collected. The latest available information relates to 31 December 1987, when a survey showed that there were about 1,100 qualified accountants in post in England, Scotland and Wales. We will be working with health authorities to establish the need for additional qualified accountants to implement the proposals in "Working for Patients" (Cm. 555).