HC Deb 19 December 2003 vol 416 cc188-9W
Mr. Andrew Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what right existing publishers will have to republish listings of jobs advertised via the electronic recruitment project; and how listings will be made available to publishers. [144824]

Mr. Hutton

Jobs which appear on the electronic recruitment site are with national health service employers. These employers are independent statutory corporations. They own the copyright to the job vacancies. The Department of Health hosts the vacancies on their behalf. The Department does not own the copyright and is not able to allow existing publishers to copy vacancies from the site for advertising in other media. The electronic recruitment project is intended to reduce the cost to the NHS of advertising job vacancies and to allow the NHS to make better use of its resources.

The project team is committed to working with existing publishers both through the digital content forum and bi-lateral meetings with individual publishers to develop the service. NHS employers will require a combination of advertising media to meet their recruitment requirements.

Mr. Andrew Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of NHS trusts required to use the electronic recruitment service to achieve the desired cost savings. [144826]

Mr. Hutton

The estimated cost savings are based upon 75 per cent. of potential national health service job vacancies being advertised via the electronic recruitment service.

Mr. Andrew Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to charge NHS users for the services provided by the planned electronic recruitment project; and whether NHS trusts" top line recruitment budgets will be altered to fund the electronic recruitment project. [144904]

Mr. Hutton

The Electronic Recruitment Service will be funded by the Department until April 2006. The method of funding after that date is still to be determined.