HC Deb 03 July 2003 vol 408 cc490-1W
Mr. Paul Marsden

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on advertising employment opportunities in each of the last five years. [122401]

Mr. Hutton

The last time that national information on national health service recruitment advertising costs was collected was in 1998, when expenditure was estimated to be £30 million. However, this is likely to have risen over the last five years in line with the major expansion of staff numbers in the NHS.

The Department of Health is currently commissioning a national electronic recruitment service for the NHS. It will link with NHS Careers to provide a web-based service advertising posts, providing information about careers, jobs and NHS employers, and an electronic application process, supported by a call centre service to provide flexible, interactive access to information and job and training opportunities. The new service will enable the NHS to reduce its recruitment and advertising costs.

Mr. Paul Marsden

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average number of applications per job advertisement in the NHS was in each of the last five years. [122402]

Mr. Hutton

The Department of Health does not hold this information centrally, although it may be available from individual national health service employing organisations.