§ 11. Ms. Ruddockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the percentage change in non-emergency ambulance patient miles in Lewisham between 1983 and 1987.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe London ambulance service does not calculate patient mileage statistics by district health authority.
§ Ms. RuddockDoes the Minister not think that it should begin to collect such statistics, given that there is an increasing percentage of elderly, chronically sick and disabled people in the community, particularly as a result of Government policies on community care, the fact that the dial-a-ride schemes are vastly oversubscribed and given that a walking case is defined as someone who can walk with the help of one other person and who can sit in a vehicle and therefore may not use the ambulance service?
§ Mrs. CurrieThe London ambulance service runs some 1,000 vehicles. Last year it performed 2.3 million patient journeys and covered some 12 million miles. It answers emergencies at the rate of 1,300 every day of the year and the average ambulance journey costs £18. I can give the hon. Member no end of statistics, but I apologise for the fact that I cannot give her exactly the ones that she wants.