asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are permanently employed by the regional and area health authorities at the present time; and what is the estimated total salary and wages bill for these personnel.

I regret that total staff employment figures related to the reorganised National Health Service are not yet available; they are collected once a year. The latest figures, as at September 1973, are on the basis of the former administrative boards and committees. The latest estimate of the total cost of salaries and wages for all employees of the regional and area health authorities in 1974–75 is £1,750 million; this includes staff of the former local health authorities as well as the former regional hospital boards, hospital management committees, boards of governors and executive councils.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were permanently employed in the former group hospital management committees and local hospital boards in England during the years 1972–73 and 1973–74; and what were the total salaries and wages bills for those personnel in the same years.

The information requested is as follows:

	Number of staff employed	Whole-time equivalent	Salary and Wage Bill £ million
1972–73	660,657	578,559	943
1973–74	669,880	584,271	1,087*
* Provisional.

1. Staff employed: the figures relate to those employed as at 30th September. No distinction is possible between permanent and temporary staff. The totals include staff of the former regional hospital boards, hospital management committees and boards of governors; they exclude Executive councils, the Dental Estimates Board, Joint Pricing Committee and former local authority health services.2. Included in the total are the following staff groups: medical and dental, nursing and midwifery, professional and technical, administrative and clerical and ancillary and other staff.