§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech therapists are employed(a) by the 1185W national health service and (b) by each NHS trust in England and Wales; what the equivalent figures were for the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [51058]
§ Mr. HuttonInformation relating to Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.
The available information for England has been placed in the Library.
Between 1997 and 2001 the number of speech and language therapists working in the NHS has increased by 810 (11 per cent.) and the number of training places available for students has increased by over a hundred since 1998. There will be further increases in the number of students entering training as a result of the NHS Plan commitment to provide 4,450 more training places each year for therapists and other health professionals by 2004. The increased investment in training, work to make the NHS a better employer and encourage return to practice will result in a continued increase in the number of speech therapists available to work in the NHS.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the recruitment and retention of speech therapists [51059]
Health authority Chairperson Chief executive Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA Ms Anthea Millett Mr. Mark Outhwaite Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA Mr. Ian White Ms Jane Herbert Birmingham and the Black Country HA Mrs. Elisabeth Buggins Mr. Geoff Scaife Cheshire and Merseyside HA Mrs. Judith Greensmith DL Mrs. Christine Hannah County Durham and Tees Valley HA Mr. Tony Waites Mr. Ken Jarrold Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire HA Mr. Charles Goody Mr. Mike Marchment Cumbria and Lancashire Mrs. Kath Reade Mr. James Pearce Butler Dorset and Somerset HA Mrs. Jane Barrie Mr. Ian Carruthers Essex HA Mr. Michael Brookes Mr. Terry Hanafin Greater Manchester HA Mr. Philip Smith Mr. Neil Goodwin Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA Mr. Peter Bingham Mr. Gareth Cruddace Kent and Medway HA Miss Kate Lampard Mrs. Candy Morris Leicester. Northamptonshire and Rutland HA Sir Richard Tilt Mr. David Sissling Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA Mr. Stewart Francis Mr. Peter Houghton North Central London HA Ms Marcia Saunders Ms Christine Outram North East London HA Professor Elaine Murphy Ms Carolyn Regan North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA Professor David Johns CBE Mr. David Johnson Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA Mr. Peter Carr CBE DL Mr. David Flory North West London HA Ms Jane Kelly Professor Ron De Witt Shropshire and Staffordshire HA Mr. Michael Brereton Professor Bernard Crump South East London HA Ms Linda Smith Mr. Duncan Selbie South West London HA Mr. James Cochrane Mrs. Julie Dent South West Peninsula HA Mrs. Judith Leverton Ms Thelma Holland South Yorkshire HA Mrs. Kathryn Riddle Mr. Mike Farrar Surrey and Sussex HA Mrs. Terese Hawksworth Mr. Simon Robbins Thames Valley HA Mrs. Jane Betts Mr. Nick Relph Trent HA Mr. Arthur Sandford Mr. Alan Burns West Yorkshire HA Sir Alistair Graham Mr. Richard Jeavons