§ Mr. HainTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what was the number of staff graded as general or senior managers in the health service in Wales on 1 January 1986; and what was the corresponding number on 1 September 1991;
(2) what was the number of administrative and clerical staff in the health service in Wales on 1 January 1986; and what is the corresponding figure for 1 September 1991.
§ Mr. Nicholas Bennett[holding answer 14 February 1992]: On 31 January 1986 there were 6,805 whole-time equivalent administrative and clerical staff employed by the health service in Wales, including staff employed by district health authorities, by the Welsh Health Common Services Authority, and by certain family health services authorities which share the payroll system from which this information is derived, but excluding information for other FHSAs. The figure for 30 September 1991 was 8,733.
Of the September 1991 figure, 693 whole-time equivalents were graded as general or senior managers, including "second tranche" senior managers reporting to general managers or management board/teams. Due to changes in the grading structure of managerial staff between 1986 and 1989, a comparable figure for 1986 is not available.
Administrative and clerical staff costs as a proportion of the National Health Service pay bill in Wales have fallen from 12.2 per cent. in 1979 to 10.9 per cent. in 1991. Authorities often differ in their approach to coding jobs for record purposes. Advice is to be issued shortly to ensure that staff figures are derived on a common basis.