Under my Department's current personnel policy, each agency has responsibility for identifying manpower requirements. Proposals for the filling of new and replacement permanent posts are reviewed on a regular basis by my Department. This review is undertaken having regard to service and personnel criteria in the context of the priority afforded to each post by the agency concerned and with particular regard to the availability of financial resources. While these arrangements require agencies to submit all proposed permanent appointments to my Department, there has been no delay in clearing appointments in agencies which are operating within their approved financial and employment parameters.
Within these parameters, agencies are permitted to employ staff including nursing staff on a temporary or locum basis without applying to my Department. My Department's Health Service Personnel Census indicates that there were a total of 26,303 nurses expressed in wholetime equivalence employed in the health service at the end of 1993. This represents an increase of 437 w.t.e. over the comparable end 1992 figure.
Over £40 million extra has been provided this year to further develop inter alia acute hospital and mental handicap services and to implement the EC directive on nurse training on a phased basis. A significant part of this increased funding is being invested in additional nursing posts which will give rise to a further increase in overall nursing numbers this year.
