§ Mr. LivseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the amount spent by the WDA in each local authority area in Wales for each of the last five years. [72371]
§ Mr. Hain[holding answer 25 February 1999]: As the details of the amounts spent by the WDA in each local
Budget Expenditure £ (estimated out-turn) Recipient(s) Service Increment For Training (Trusts) 18,544,000 NHS Trusts involved in undergraduate teaching Service Increment For Training (GPs) 291,500 Training practices Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education 10,320,000 University of Wales College of Medicine, NHS Trusts and Health Authorities Central contribution to salaries of doctors in postgraduate training 26,566,000 NHS Trusts Postgraduate Pharmaceutical Education 703,000 University of Wales College, Cardiff Postgraduate Optical Education 28,000 British College of Optometrists, London Other training of health professionals 41,605,000 Higher education institutions Trusts and GPs involved in medical and dental undergraduate training are reimbursed through Service Increment For Training (SIFT) for the ancillary costs incurred as a result of training activity. SIFT money is allocated on a basis that reflects historical costs, but also changing student numbers and distribution.
The Department's direct contribution of £10,320,000 to postgraduate medical and dental education and training includes a one-off payment of £500,000 from the Welsh Office Primary Care Initiative. This budget is managed and accounted for by the Post-Graduate Dean, UWCM. In addition, the Department contributes towards the salaries of doctors in training, in recognition of the time they spend on their studies. Contracts for education and training of health professionals other than doctors and dentists in higher education institutions in Wales are managed by the Education Purchasing Unit of the Welsh Health Common Service Authority (which will become part of the Department when WHCSA is abolished), which monitors student numbers and pays invoices monthly.
In addition, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales fund medical and dental undergraduate degrees (and funded degrees in certain other health-related subjects until the end of the 1997–98 academic year), but their funding is calculated on the basis of overall numbers of students in each College, not numbers of students taking particular courses.
The Department does not monitor that expenditure on education and training which is undertaken by Trusts themselves, though this is included in Trusts' annual accounts together with expenditure on research.
Trust expenditure includes training purchased from the NHS Staff College. The College receives support from Health Authorities, which totalled £1,278,000 in 1997–98.
Following the transfer of functions, this issue will be a matter for the National Assembly.
612Wauthority in Wales for the last five years are lengthy, they have been placed in the Library.