---

Consultant Vacancies

Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there were for consultants by specialty in each year since 1990. [17862]

Mr. Malone: Information on consultant vacancies by specialty for 1990 to 1994 is shown in the table. For information for 1995, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 4 February 1997, Official Report, columns 595-96. Information for 1996 is not yet available.

Data on vacant posts are difficult to interpret and do not necessarily imply a shortage. The census is a snapshot on 30 September each year. Some vacancies will be wholly or partly filled by locums. For others, national health service trusts may find other ways to provide the service than re-advertising. The numbers give no indication of how long the post has been empty. Some of these would have been in the process of being filled.

Vacant consultant posts by specialty in England as at 30 September 1990 to 1994 (whole time equivalent rounded to the nearest ten)

Specialty	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Accident and emergency	20	10	20	20	10
Anaesthetics	90	50	90	80	100
Audiological medicine	--	--	0	--	0
Blood transfusion	0	0	10	0	0
Cardio-thoracic surgery	0	0	0	0	10
Cardiology	10	0	0	10	10
Chemical pathology	10	10	0	0	--
Child and adolescent psychiatry	30	20	30	20	30
Clinical physiology	0	--	0	--	--
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics	--	--	0	--	--
Clinical cytogenetics	--	--	0	--	--
Clinical immunology and allergy	--	--	0	0	0
Clinical neurological physiology	0	--	0	--	--
Clinical genetics	0	0	0	--	--
Dermatology	10	10	0	0	10
Endocrinology	--	0	0	0	0
Forensic psychiatry	0	0	10	10	10
Gastroenterology	--	0	0	0	0
General pathology	--	--	--	--	--
General surgery	30	20	20	20	20
General medicine	20	10	10	20	10
Genito-urinary medicine	10	10	10	10	0
Geriatric medicine	10	0	10	10	20
Haematology	10	10	10	10	10
Histopathology	20	10	10	0	10
Immuno-pathology	0	0	0	--	0
Infectious diseases	0	--	0	0	--
Medical microbiology	10	0	0	0	0
Medical oncology	--	--	0	0	--
Metal handicap	30	20	10	0	10
Mental illness	130	80	90	80	100
Nephrology	0	0	0	0	0
Neurology	10	0	0	0	0
Neuropathology	--	--	0	0	--
Neurosurgery	0	0	0	0	0
Nuclear medicine	--	--	0	0	--
Obstetrics and Gynaecology	20	20	20	20	20
Occupational health	0	0	0	0	0
Old age psychiatry	20	20	20	10	20
Opthalmology	30	20	10	20	30
Otolaryngology	20	10	10	10	10
Paediatric neurology	--	--	0	--	0
Paediatric surgery	--	0	0	0	0
Paediatrics	30	30	50	40	20
Palliative medicine	0	0	0	--	0
Plastic surgery	10	0	0	0	0
Psychotherapy	0	0	0	0	0
Radiology	30	20	20	20	20
Radiotherapy	10	10	0	0	0
Rehabilitation	0	0	0	0	0
Rheumatology	10	10	0	0	0
Thoracic medicine	0	0	0	0	0
Traumatic and orthopaedic surgery	30	20	30	30	30
Urology	10	20	10	10	10
Virology	--	--	0	--	--
Other	0	10	0	0	0
Total of all specialties	700	470	540	480	570

Source:

The medical and dental workforce census 30 September 1990 to 1994.

Notes:

1. Figures shown are for England as at 30 September of each year.

2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

3. 0 = 5 or less; -- = zero.

3 Mar 1997 : Column: 515

3 Mar 1997 : Column: 517

Blood (CJD)

Sir Harold Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines he has issued regarding the acceptability of blood donations from the relatives of persons suffering or who have died from the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. [17809]

Mr. Horam: The National Blood Service guidelines exclude from giving blood relatives of people who are suffering from, or who have died from, any form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what tests are available to demonstrate that blood does not contain the agent of the new variant CJD. [18022]

Mr. Horam: There is no test available to detect Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, including the new variant, in the blood of living persons.

The safety of blood is kept under regular review by the expert advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissues for Transplantation. There is no evidence of any risk of transmission of CJD through blood or blood products. However, as a precautionary measure, the National Blood Service guidelines exclude from giving blood people who, as a result of personal health factors or treatment received, might be at risk of developing CJD, and people with a family history of CJD.

Committee on Safety of Medicines

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the members of the Committee on Safety of Medicines indicating (a) the organisations that they represent, (b) the organisations nominating them to sit on the committee, (c) other voluntary and paid employment that they undertake and (d) other areas of expertise that they have; and if he will make a statement. [17848]

Mr. Malone: Following is the membership of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, members' qualifications and expertise and their primary place of employment:

Professor M. D. Rawlins BSc MD FRCP(Lon) FRCP(Ed) FFPM: Chairman

Professor of Clinical Pharmacology, Newcastle University;

Professor T. R. E. Barnes MD FRCPsych

Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, London University;

Professor A. M. Breckenridge CBE MD MSc FRCP FRCPE FRSE: Vice Chairman

Professor of Clinical Pharmacology, Liverpool University;

Dr. K. L. Costeloe MB BChir FRCP

Head of Academic Department of Child Health and Reader in Neonatal Medicine, St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry;

Professor J. H. Darbyshire OBE MSc MB ChB FRCP

Head of the MRC's HIV Clinical Trials Centre, University College London Medical School;

Professor H. J. Dargie FRCP FESC

Consultant Cardiologist and Co-Director of CRI in Heart Failure, Glasgow University;

Professor D. S. Davies BSc PhD CChem FRSC

Professor of Biochemical Pharmacology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London;

Dr. A. M. Douglas BSc MB ChB MRCGP DCH DRCOG

General Practitioner, Exeter;

3 Mar 1997 : Column: 518

Professor G. W. Duff MA BM BCh PhD FRCP

Professor of Molecular Medicine, Sheffield University;

Dr. S. J. Eykyn FRCP FRCPath

Reader (Hon Con) in Clinical Microbiology, St. Thomas' Hospital, London;

Professor R. G. Finch FRCP FRCPath FFPM

Professor of Infectious Diseases, Nottinghan University;

Professor A. T. Florence CBE DSc FRSC FRSE FRPharmS

Dean of the School of Pharmacy, London University;

Professor E. C. Gordon-Smith FRCP FRCPath

Professor of Haematology, St. George's Hospital Medical School, London;

Professor K. Gull BSc PhD

Director of the Research and Graduate School, School of Biological Sciences, Manchester University;

Professor H. S. Jacobs MD FRCP FRCOG

Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology, University College and Middlesex School of Medicine, London;

Mrs. E. A. Kay MSc MRPharmS MCPP DMS

Director of Clinical Pharmacy, United Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust;

Dr. M. J. Kendall MD FRCP

Reader in Medicine, Birmingham University;

Dr. B. J. Kirby MD MB ChB FRCP

Consultant Physician and Deputy Director Postgraduate Medical School, Exeter University;

Dr. S. Kumar MBBS MRCGP DCH DPMC

Principal in General Practice, Widnes, Cheshire and Member of the Department of Health's Advisory Committee on NHS Drugs;

Professor M. J. S. Langman BSc MD FRCP

Professor of Medicine and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Birmingham University;

Dr. A. V. P. MacKay OBE MA BSc PhD MB ChB FRCPsych FRCP

Medical Director of the Argyll and Bute NHS Trust and McIntosh Lecturer in Psychological Medicine, Glasgow University;

Professor J. M. Midgley BSc MSc PhD CChem FRSC FRPharmS;

Professor of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Strathclyde University;

Professor B. K. Park BSc Phd MRCP

Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Liverpool University;

Professor B. L. Pentecost MD FRCP

Consultant Physician and Director of British Heart Foundation;

Professor J. C. Petrie FRCP(Ed) FRCP(Lon) FFPM

Professor of Clinical Pharmacology, Aberdeen University;

Professor L. L. Smith PhD FRCPath

Director of the MRC Toxicology Unit, Leicester University;

Dr. K. Verrier Jones MD FRCP

Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Nephrology, Cardiff Royal Infirmary;

Professor M. P. Vessey CBE MD FRCP FFPHM FRS

Professor of Public Health, Oxford University;

Professor I. V. D. Weller MD FRCP

Head of Department of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (a division of Pathology and Infectious Diseases), University College London Medical School.

3 Mar 1997 : Column: 519

The Committee on Safety of Medicines is an independent body of drug safety experts. Its members are appointed by the United Kingdom Health Ministers--the licensing authority--following consultations with appropriate organisations and on the recommendations of the Medicines Commission. The organisations consulted include professional associations such as the royal colleges, the pharmaceutical industry, and organisations concerned with the interests of consumers, women and ethnic minorities. Members do not represent organisations, but contribute by their individual expertise and judgment to the advice given by the committee to the licensing authority. In addition, members are required to follow a code of practice on relations with the pharmaceutical industry and to declare their interests which are published annually.

---