§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many persons who applied to serve as non-executive directors or as chairpersons to NHS trusts in North East England, excluding Yorkshire, were(a) unsuccessful and (b) not appointed to any position; how many of the unsuccessful candidates were (i) female, (ii) from ethnic minorities or (iii) worked in health professions or occupations. [43820]
§ Mr. MilburnA total of 350 applicants were considered for 51 non-executive director vacancies on National Health Service trust boards in the northern part of the Northern and Yorkshire Region during the autumn 1997 round of appointments, including appointments to merged trusts in April 1998. The applicants had all been interviewed by independent panels: of the 299 who were unsuccessful in obtaining an appointment, 81 are female, 7 belong to an ethnic minority and 34 worked in health professions or occupations at the time of their application.
The information requested for applicants who did not proceed beyond the initial interview stage could be provided only at disproportionate cost.