§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement regarding Warwick and Leicester Universities proposals for a joint medical school. [39786]
§ Mr. MilburnThe third report of the medical workforce standing advisory committee (MWSAC), published at the end of 1997, recommended an increase of about 1,000 in the intake of medical students in the United Kingdom. When the report was published, we said that we would announce our decisions on all of the MWSAC's recommendations in a few months time in the light of the comprehensive spending review.
We are aware of proposals by the Universities of Warwick and Leicester to establish a new joint medical school. However, we will not give detailed consideration to how any possible increase in medical student numbers might be implemented until after the decisions on the MWSAC recommendations have been announced later in the year.