HC Deb 15 October 2002 vol 390 c817W
Mr. Swayne

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the availability of funding for child and adolescent psychotherapists in South West Hampshire; [73938]

(2) how many child and adolescent psychotherapists are practising in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; and what funding is being made available for training posts. [73939]

Ms Blears

A total of 5.7 whole time equivalent (wte) child psychotherapists are employed across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The Department allocates the multi-professional education and training levy to local workforce development confederations (WDCs) for the training of health professionals, including child psychotherapists.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight WDC is responsible for deciding priorities for investment in new training places and is aware of a bid for a child psychotherapy trainee in Southampton. The WDC has not been able to fund all the bids it received this year for additional training places in the many different health professions but bids will be reconsidered against next year's allocation.