To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Government intend to allocate additional funds to increase the number of available places on the bridging course for nurses.

Health boards are already in receipt of additional funding for Project 2000 purposes and are free to decide how much of that money should be spent on bridging and conversion courses for enrolled nurses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the ratio of enrolled nurses applying to undertake the registered general nursing bridging course and the number of available places on the bridging course in Grampian.

As at May 1990, the latest date for which figures are available, the ratio of applicants to places was 15:1. Work is in hand to increase the rate of enrolled nurse conversion generally.