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Number (headcount)( 4)
	All practitioners (GP retainers)( 1)
	All countries of qualification	United Kingdom	Remainder of the EEA	Elsewhere
1997
North West London	1,209	775	62	372
of which:
Brent Teaching PCT	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Brent and Harrow HA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
1998
North West London	1,188	756	68	364
of which:
Brent Teaching PCT	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Brent and Harrow HA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
1999
North West London	1,134	728	58	348
of which:
Brent Teaching PCT	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Brent and Harrow HA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
2000
North West London	1,125	722	60	343
of which:
Brent Teaching PCT	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Brent and Harrow HA	—	—	—	—
2001
North West London	1,150	774	55	321
of which:
Brent Teaching PCT	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Brent and Harrow HA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
2002
North West London	1,139	764	61	314
of which:
Brent Teaching PCT	197	108	5	84
Brent and Harrow HA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003
North West London	1,176	800	64	312
of which:
Brent Teaching PCT	205	113	5	87
Brent and Harrow HA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
2004
North West London	1,232	831	74	327
of which:
Brent Teaching PCT	210	115	5	90
Brent and Harrow HA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005
North West London	1,243	837	82	324
of which:
Brent Teaching PCT	216	121	5	90
Brent and Harrow HA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
n/a = data not applicable (1) General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers) includes Contracted GPs, GMS Others, PMS Others and GP Registrars. Prior to September 2004 this group included GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs, PMS Salaried GPs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS Other, Flexible Career Scheme GPs and GP Returners. (2) Excludes medical Hospital Practitioners and medical Clinical Assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals. (3) Excludes all dental staff. Information about country of qualification is derived from the General Medical Council. For staff in dental specialties, with a General Dental Council registration, the country of qualification is therefore unknown. (4) GP data as at 1 October 1997-1999, 30 September 2000-2005. HCHS data as at 30 September each year Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census

Medical Technologies

Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures have been put in place to monitor the extent of the adoption of medical technologies in the NHS; [87029]

(2) what steps her Department is taking to ensure that budgetary pressures do not affect the use of the most effective medical technologies in the NHS. [87031]

Andy Burnham: There are no national measures in place specifically to monitor the adoption of non-drug medical technologies.

Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is an important tool in ensuring that national health service organisations prioritise clinically and cost effective interventions.

Medical Transcription Services

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS organisations have outsourced medical transcription services to (a) UK and (b) overseas organisations; what estimate she has made of the reduction in the number of medical secretary posts as a result of outsourcing; and what arrangements are in place for the evaluation of the impact of outsourcing these services in terms of (i) value for money and (ii) impact on patient care. [86148]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

Any decision to outsource medical transcription services and evaluate the impact of outsourcing these services is made by each national health service organisation in line with their business needs.

Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency requirement of notification of shortages of medicine applies to parallel import licence holders in the same way as it is applied to the original manufacturer. [88879]

Andy Burnham: Articles 23a and 81 of Directive 2001/83/EC (as amended) relate directly to the supply of medicines, and require holders of marketing authorisations—within the limits of their responsibilities—to maintain appropriate and continued supplies of their products, and to notify the competent authority if a product is not going to be available either temporarily or permanently. The legislation requires two months notice in all but exceptional circumstances. Information supplied to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is shared with medicines pharmacy and industry group in the Department.

Parallel import traders, for the purpose of the directive, are not holders of marketing authorisations and are not required to notify the MHRA. However, contractual terms and conditions with national health service trusts are applied to all suppliers equitably, whether manufacturers, traders or parallel importers.

Mental Health

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the demand for expansion of the capacity of secure mental health units. [85419]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The requirement for secure mental health services is kept under regular review in order to inform the planning of the future development of psychiatric services at all levels of security.

A review of the forensic mental health system is being planned and scoping meetings have already taken place. This is underpinned by clear capacity planning for high and medium secure services that has already taken place and regional forensic commissioners in the national health service are validating the projections against their own regional strategies. New service models are emerging and regional commissioners have established a work programme that takes these models and the implications of the capacity requirements forward in a structured way.

Progress is being monitored through the high security psychiatric services national oversight group.

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average cost of a bed in a secure mental health ward and (b) total cost of secure mental health facilities was in the last year for which figures are available. [85420]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information about the average costs of beds in secure mental health facilities for 2004-05, the latest year available, is contained in the publication ‘NHS reference costs 2005’ and in the following tables, which are also available on the Department’s website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/32/28/04133228.xls and www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/32/29/04133229.xls

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