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Visas (Overseas Teachers)
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend the working holiday visa scheme to allow greater flexibility in respect of the employment of overseas teachers; and if he will make a statement. [130778]
Mrs. Roche: We have no plans to relax the working holidaymakers rules. Flexibility already exists for working holidaymakers in the teaching profession in that they are not precluded from continuing their career in the United Kingdom and may work as supply teachers.
The purpose of the working holidaymaker scheme is not to enable overseas teachers to secure employment. As the title implies, any work is to be incidental to an extended holiday here and participants are not expected to work for the whole of their time. There are already a number of existing mechanisms under the Immigration Rules to facilitate the employment of overseas teachers, including the work permit scheme and the approved exchange scheme for teachers and language assistants.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many working holidaymaker visas were issued to overseas teachers in the last three years for which figures are available; [130779]
- (2) how many working holidaymaker visas have been issued to overseas teachers and have not yet expired; and how many such teachers are known to be in (a) London and (b) the rest of the United Kingdom [130780]
Mrs. Roche: I regret that the available information--on working holidaymakers admitted to the United Kingdom--does not separately identify those who are teachers nor their place of residence in this country.
HEALTH
Angiograms
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and which hospitals in the NHS provide angiogram facilities; and how long the waiting times are in each of them. [129191]
Mr. Denham: 92 National Health Service trusts performed at least one coronary angiogram during 1998-99. The table lists these trusts and gives their related average waiting times.
We recognise that some patients may have to wait some time for this diagnostic procedure and that there is unacceptable variation in access to this service. This is why we have made the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease one of this Government's priorities.
The National Service Framework for coronary heart disease will address these inequalities over the 10-year period of the strategy. It sets clear long-term targets for waiting times at every stage of the patient journey, including waits for angiography, and progress towards
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these targets will be monitored by the NHS Executive through performance management and by the Commission for Health Improvement.
(1) Data quality insufficient to calculate median waiting time
Notes:
1. This table is derived from ungrossed HES data.
2. Waiting time statistics from HES are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and waiting times for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment at a given point in time and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the waiting time as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES)--Department of Health
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Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were employed at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in each year since 1992; and if he will make a statement. [131136]
Mr. Denham: The table illustrates that the number of nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed by the Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals National Health Service Trust declined between the years 1994 and 1997. However, numbers remain constant for 1998, and have increased in 1999, demonstrating our commitment to increase the number of nurses working within the NHS. It should be noted that inflated figures for nursing staff in 1994 are not comparable with later years, due to a new classification system introduced in 1995 (see notes).
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| Whole time equivalents | Number (headcount) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 850 | 1,130 |
| 1995 | 750 | 950 |
| 1996 | 730 | 940 |
| 1997 | 710 | 900 |
| 1998 | 720 | 900 |
| 1999 | 730 | 920 |
Notes:
1. The Royal Shrewsbury NHS Trust came into being on 1 April 1994. Data from earlier years cannot be disaggregated from health authority returns.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
3. 1994 figures include agency staff and exclude learners, 1995 to 1999 figures exclude agency staff and learners.
4. A new classification of the non-medical work force was introduced in 1995, therefore information based on this classification is not comparable with earlier years.
Source:
Department of Health Non Medical Workforce Census.
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