To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding was available before August 2006 for the provision of additional doctors to ensure that junior doctors’ working rotas would be compliant with the European Working Time Directive. (134961)

In 2006-07 the Department allocated funding to the Junior Doctors Implementation Support Group (ISG). ISG assigned £5.5 million of this budget to assist Boards and HPSS Trusts in achieving European Working Time Directive (EWTD) compliance. This included provision for the recruitment of additional doctors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to ensure that sufficient junior doctors are employed in Northern Ireland to enable all their working rotas to be compliant with the European Working Time Directive in August 2007. (134966)

The revised recruitment arrangements agreed in April are aimed at ensuring foil recruitment to all junior doctors’ posts for August 2007 thus ensuring the maintenance of codes of compliance with the European Working Time Directive (EWTD).

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the career structure for junior doctors in Northern Ireland from August 2007 on (a) waiting lists for outpatients appointments and (b) waiting lists for elective surgery. (134967)

An assessment on the impact of the career structure for junior doctors and its impact on outpatient and elective surgery waiting lists has not been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps were taken to ensure that sufficient medical staff would be available to maintain a high standard of patient care during the first round of Medical Training Application Service interviews in Northern Ireland. (134978)

Trust chief executive, medical and clinical directors and HR directors were notified of the timeline for recruiting doctors to speciality training, in order to ensure that arrangements could be made for the release of panel members and candidates to attend interviews.