§ Mr. LyonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average hours of junior doctors were in 1997; and what they were at the latest date for which figures are available. [80143]
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§ Mr. HuttonData on junior doctors' working hours is not collected in a way that enables an average to be calculated. Available data shows the proportion of junior doctors who work above or below set thresholds.
Initial indications from monitoring carried out in September 2002 showed 86 per cent. working on average less than 56 hours a week, with at least 23 per cent, of these working less than 48 hours a week.
This compares favourably with the monitoring carried out in March 1997 which indicated that only 78 per cent. of junior doctors were working on average less than 56 hours a week.