Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether NHS organisations consult any advisory body on the appointment of NHS chaplains; [11239]

(2) which Minister in his Department has responsibility for policy on NHS chaplains; [11240]

(3) how many chaplains of each faith each NHS acute hospital trust employs; and how many such chaplains each trust employs on a full-time basis. [11241]

Mr Simon Burns: Information on the number or working patterns of chaplains employed by national health service trusts is not collected centrally. It is for individual trusts to determine their own provision and they are not under a statutory obligation to consult with any advisory body on the appointment of healthcare chaplains. However, many will refer to the occupational standards and codes of conduct published by organisations and professional associations such as the Hospital Chaplaincies Council, the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy and Multi Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy. I have responsibility for healthcare chaplaincy along with other issues relating to the NHS workforce.