§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many extra medical school training places will be created in each year from 2001 to 2004 expressed in the same terms as the figures in the NHS Plan; and if he will make a statement. [147555]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 29 January 2001]: Following our announcement in 1998 that the annual intake of medical students in the United Kingdom should be increased by about 1,000, medical school intake in England is planned to rise as follows as set out in the table.
Academic year Actual and planned increases in intakes 1999–2000 223 2000–01 289 2001–02 273 2002–03 273 2003–04 22 Work on the planned further increase of up to 1,000 places set out in the NHS Plan is being taken forward by a Joint Implementation Group (JIG) which includes representatives of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Department and the General Medical Council. The joint implementation group will make recommendations to the HEFCE Board, which is responsible for the allocation of medical student places to higher education institutions (HEIs) in England.
The JIG invited all HEIs in England to submit proposals to provide these extra places in September 2000. The group is currently considering the proposals that have been submitted and will make recommendations to the HEFCE in due course.