§ 31. Sir Fergus MontgomeryTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses there are at present; and how many there were in 1979.
§ Mr. MellorI refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire, West (Mr. McLoughlin) on 21 March, at column567.
§ Mr. BurtTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to encourage the private health care sector to increase its contribution to nurse training.
§ Mr. MellorI am pleased to announce that representatives of the private sector, the English National Board and the Department have recently established a joint working group to identify the extent of the private sector's capacity to participate in pre-registration nurse training. The group will also identify the sector's demand for post-registration nurses and its capacity to provide an input consistent with its capacity to train, and its demand for, staff.