Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to fill vacancies for medical staff in the NHS.

Over recent months the National Health Service has seen record numbers of doctors employed. Since May 2010 the numbers of doctors has increased by almost 11,700.

Responsibility for staffing levels rests with individual NHS trusts and their boards who are best placed to decide how many staff they need to provide a given service, taking into account skill mix, efficiency and the needs of their local population.

By increasing the number of medical school places in England by 1,500 we are ensuring the right number of doctors are trained so that the NHS can continue to deliver safe, compassionate and effective care well into the future.