§ Mr. MillsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received over the recruitment of paediatrician doctors qualified for staffing children's wards in district general hospitals; and if he will make a statement. [35719]
§ Mr. MaloneCorrespondence about the recruitment of paediatric consultants has been received from the British Paediatric Association.
I recently announced additional funding of £5.7 million in 1996–97 to provide a significant increase in training opportunities for doctors wishing to become consultants. In paediatrics, the increase for 1996–97 is 262, larger than any other specialty.
Regional postgraduate deans are expected to target the available resources on those specialties, such as paediatrics, which have seen a rapidly increasing demand for consultant manpower.