Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many student nurses there are at present; how many of them originate from the Republic of Ireland; how many nurses are unemployed; and if he will make a statement on job prospects for nurses.
§ Mr. AncramAt 31 October there were 2,316 student nurses in training in Northern Ireland of whom 263 originate from the Republic of Ireland, while at 14 October 1993 there were 701 unemployed claimants who last worked in the nursing profession in general.
My hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley) wrote to you in April this year about job prospects in the nursing profession. He explained that improved retention of nursing staff has reduced employment opportunities for newly qualified nurses and that the proposals for rationalisation of services will impact on nurse employment in the future. The position has changed little since April as decisions have yet to be taken on the rationalisation of the service. Until these decisions are taken, it is not possible to assess accurately the implications for the nursing profession.