§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the annual cost of providing teams to inspect plants overseas which manufacture products for use in the NHS;
(2) how many people are employed by her Department to inspect plants overseas which manufacture medical products for use in the national health service.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe equivalent of 6.7 full-time inspectors from the Department of Health and the Medicines Control Agency together were employed in the inspection of medical device and licensed medicinal product manufacturers overseas in 1992–93. The estimated cost—staff, travel and subsistence expenses—of providing these services was £595,000.