§ Mr. Simon Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the decision by the Office of Fair Trading not to include the impact of local authorities' purchasing power on the financial viability of nursing homes in its investigation into nursing homes. [178140]
690W
NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified diagnostic radiographers in England by Government office region. Strategic health authority area and organisation as at 30 September each specified year Whole-time equivalent 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 England total 8,626 8,860 9,009 9,169 9,264 9,489 9,642 A North East total 481 496 509 521 528 547 579 009 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA total 268 281 291 291 289 302 327 Cheviot and Wansbeck NHS Trust RLK 22 — — — — — — City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust RLN 50 55 51 56 53 51 55 Freeman Group of Hospitals NHS Trust RAB 32 — — — — — — Gateshead Health NHS Trust RR7 — 41 43 44 40 43 57 Gateshead Hospitals NHS Trust RE2 39 — — — — — — Newcastle City Health NHS Trust RNM 9 10 — — — — — Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust RTD — 96 123 119 121 125 136 North Tyneside Health Care NHS Trust RLC 23 — — — — — — Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust RTF — 58 51 48 50 56 52 Royal Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust RCK 72 — — — — — — South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Trust RE9 22 22 23 24 26 28 27
§ Dr. Ladyman:The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) operates independently from Government under clear terms of reference and associated powers. It is for the OFT and its board to decide what it will and will not investigate.