§ Mr. Robin CookTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the total number of staff involved in servicing the General Whitley Council and its committees, the annual cost of running the council, and the number of national health service staff covered by the General Whitley Council; and if he will give similar figures for the review bodies on doctors' and dentists' remuneration and nursing staff, midwives, health visitors and professions allied to medicine.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe General Whitley Council is responsible for negotiating conditions of service for some 937,000 staff in the national health service, including 590,000 whose pay is covered by the review bodies. Servicing the work of the council and its committees involves 9.5 whole-time equivalent staff of the Department at an approximate annual cost of £153,000. The pay of the non-review body staff is negotiated by the various functional Whitley councils and related negotiating bodies.
Questions about We servicing of the review bodies are a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.