To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the numbers of nursing vacancies there are expected to be in the NHS at the end of August 2007. (125861)

The Department has not made an estimate of the number of nursing vacancies expected in the national health service at the end of August 2007.

The March 2007 vacancy survey due to be carried out at the end of this month will provide us with a snapshot of the current nursing three-month vacancy situation.