Written question asked by Graham Allen (Labour) on Monday, 4 December 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 6 December 2006. It was answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Labour) on Monday, 18 December 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Chaplains

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many publicly-funded full-time equivalent chaplaincy staff there were in the NHS in 2005-06, broken down by religion; what the cost was of chaplaincy staff in 2005-06; what estimate she has made of the costs in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08; and whether she has made an assessment of the merits of providing equivalent pastoral support for those who are not religious and who may not wish to receive such support from a religious chaplain.

Answer: The Department does not collect data on national health service hospital chaplaincy.The Department remains committed to the guidance ““NHS Chaplaincy: Meeting the Religious and Spiritual Needs of Patients and Staff”” issued to NHS trusts in November 2003 about patients' access to spiritual care, irrespective of their faith or beliefs.NHS trusts are responsible for delivering religious and spiritual care in a way that meets the diverse needs of their patients. How they do so is a matter for local determination, particularly as these arrangements vary considerably. It is not for Ministers to intervene in these matters.

Secondary information