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Regional Health Authority Consultants

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants were employed by each regional health authority in each year since 1985; and if he will make a statement. [7293]

Mr. Malone: In 1985, the regional health authorities employed all medical consultants working in non-teaching hospitals and regional consultants in public health medicine. Special health authorities and teaching districts held the contracts for the remaining consultants. Since the onset of the national health service reforms, in April 1992, contracts have been transferred to trusts as they became established. Only a small number of consultant contracts were held by regional health authorities when they became part of the NHS executive in April 1996 and these were all contracts of regional consultants in public health medicine.

The table gives the whole-time equivalents of hospital medical consultants employed within previous regional health authorities boundaries. Figures on consultants in public health medicine are also given.

4 Dec 1996 : Column: 685

Hospital medical consultants in England whole-time equivalents for each region--30 September 1985 to 1995

	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
Northern	840	860	880	890	940	940	970	1,030	950	880	1,150
Yorkshire	860	880	910	940	1,020	970	1,000	1,130	1,190	1,220	1,260
Trent	1,010	1,060	1,110	1,160	1,200	1,230	1,250	1,330	1,360	1,420	1,540
East Anglian	510	520	530	550	580	630	650	630	660	830	880
North West Thames	890	890	890	860	940	1,040	1,060	960	930	1,100	1,160
North East Thames	1,200	1,180	1,090	1,180	1,180	1,240	1,240	1,340	1,310	1,360	1,520
South East Thames	1,000	1,030	1,050	1,070	1,100	1,130	1,160	1,170	1,190	1,290	1,360
South West Thames	720	750	760	770	780	820	850	820	890	930	1,000
Wessex	680	690	730	740	770	780	810	840	880	910	960
Oxford	590	610	630	650	660	670	690	710	760	790	820
South Western	730	750	770	780	820	850	870	900	930	960	1,050
West Midlands	1,260	1,310	1,340	1,370	1,410	1,460	1,500	1,530	1,550	1,600	1,740
Mersey	600	620	630	640	690	720	730	750	810	840	870
North Western	1,120	1,160	1,170	1,180	1,220	1,290	1,310	1,300	1,350	1,440	1,530
SHAs and Special Hospitals	380	390	380	390	400	420	440	410	460	70	80
England	12,400	12,680	12,860	13,200	13,670	14,190	14,500	14,850	15,210	15,640	16,930

Source:

The Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce census.

Notes:

1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

2. The England total may not agree with the sum of the regions due to rounding.

4 Dec 1996 : Column: 685

Consultants(25) in public health medicine by region as at 30 September each year whole time equivalents

	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
Northern	30	30	30	30	30	40	40	40	20	10	30
Yorkshire	40	30	30	40	40	30	40	50	40	50	30
Trent	40	40	40	40	30	30	30	30	40	30	40
East Anglian	30	30	20	20	20	20	30	30	30	40	40
North West Thames	40	30	30	30	20	30	30	20	20	40	40
North East Thames	30	30	30	30	30	30	20	20	30	10	30
South East Thames	30	30	30	30	30	30	20	20	20	30	30
South West Thames	40	30	30	30	30	20	20	20	30	30	30
Wessex	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	30	30
Oxford	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	10	10	10	20
South Western	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	10	10	30	30
West Midlands	50	40	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	60
Mersey	20	30	20	20	20	20	20	20	30	30	30
North Western	50	50	40	40	40	50	50	50	60	50	50
England total	480	440	420	420	420	410	420	390	400	440	500

NB all figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Due to rounding the sum of the individual regions may not equal the England total

(25) Includes Regional/District Directors in Public Health.

The majority of census data are now collected directly from trusts and health authorities and this has identified some under-reporting of doctors in 1994 and some previous years.

4 Dec 1996 : Column: 687

4 Dec 1996 : Column: 687

Operations

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average cost of (a) an endoscopy, (b) a hernia operation, (c) a vasectomy, (d) a cataract operation, (e) a mastectomy, (f) a varicose vein operation, (g) a tonsillectomy, (h) an adenoid operation and (i) a gall bladder operation (i) in each regional health authority and (ii) in each hospital trust; and if he will make a statement. [7294]

Mr. Horam: The information relating to these specific procedures is not collected centrally on a routine basis. No national or regional database exists for this information currently.

Private Health Care

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of state for Health what was the expenditure on private health care, excluding long-term care, (i) as a proportion of gross domestic product and (ii) cash terms for each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [7298]

Mr. Horam: This information is not collected by the Department.

Infant Mortality

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the survival rate of babies born weighing under 3lb 4oz for each regional health authority in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [7299]

Mr. Horam: The information for 1994, the latest year available, is as follows:

Percentage of babies weighing less than 1500 gm surviving the first four weeks of life by regional health authorities

RHA	Percentage
Northern	82
Yorkshire	82
Trent	77
East Anglian	81
North West Thames	85
North East Thames	81
South East Thames	82
South West Thames	87
Wessex	87
Oxford	80
South Western	82
West Midlands	76
Mersey	85
North Western	83

Source:

Office for National Statistics.

4 Dec 1996 : Column: 688

Hospital Volunteers

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered hospital volunteers there were in each regional health authority area in each year since 1985; and if he will make a statement. [7300]

Mr. Horam: This information is not available centrally.

Water Fluoridation

Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the amount of fluoride required annually by a water company artificially to fluoridate public water supplies for a population of 300,800. [6794]

Mr. Clappison: I have been asked to reply.

On the assumption that the total water supply amounts to about 60 million litres per day, the drinking water inspectorate has estimated that it would require each year approximately 150 tonnes of 20 per cent. by weight hexafluorosilicic acid, the chemical which is normally used to fluoridate water supplies.

Water Consumption

Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the daily average consumption of water by (i) children aged (a) zero to five years, (b) six to 12 years and (c) 13 to 18 years and

4 Dec 1996 : Column: 689

(ii) adults aged (1) 19 to 65 years and (2) over 65 years; and in each case what is the figure as a percentage of the daily public water supply; [6796]

(2) what estimate he has made of the percentage of public water for household consumption; and what percentage of this figure is used for drinking purposes. [6797]

Mr. Clappison: I have been asked to reply.

Household usage constitutes approximately 70 per cent. of the volume of public water supplies in England and Wales. Approximately 0.63 per cent. of the average household supply is used for drinking purposes as tap water, or as tap water-based beverages.

The latest research into drinking water consumption habits, published by MEL Research does not report against the exact age bands requested. However, extrapolation from published data indicates that the approximate total water consumptions in litres per day are as follows: zero to five years, 0.75 litres (0.5 per cent.); six to 12 years 1.1 litres (0.7 per cent.); 13 to 18 years 1.4 litres (0.9 per cent.); 19 to 65 years 1.7 litres (1.1 per cent.); and over 65 years 1.7 litres (1.1 per cent.). Figures in parentheses represent consumption expressed as a percentage of the average per capita usage of 160 litres per day.

The survey of drinking water consumption was funded by my Department. Copies of the report "Tap Water Consumption: Findings from the 1995 National Survey" have been placed in the Library of the House.

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