§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (I) what funding the Government are making available to provide specialist nurses to treat Parkinson's disease in(a)England and (b)Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement; [64448]
(2) how many specialist nurses to treat Parkinson's disease there are in (a)England and (b)Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement. [64447]
§ Jacqui SmithWe do not hold information centrally on the skills profile of nurses at either a local or national level. We understand from the Parkinson's Disease Society however, that there are currently 134 of these nurses in post.
Funding is allocated to health authorities so that they can take decisions about the staff and services they need to provide to meet the health needs of their local populations. Funds are not earmarked centrally to support the funding of particular staff groups.