§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average waiting time for admission to hospital for gynaecological treatment under the health service (a) the area covered by the Merseyside Regional Health Authority, (b) the area covered by the East Cheshire Area Health Authority and (c) the Macclesfield District of the Cheshire Area Health Authority.
§ Dr. OwenAverages are misleading as waiting times for admission vary according to the circumstances of the individual case and patients requiring emergency treatment are admitted without delay. On 31st March 1975 the numbers of patients awaiting admission to hospital for gynaecological treatment under NHS in the areas shown were as follows:
provided by the Family Fund and its sources of income.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisThe help provided by the Family Fund to families with a severely handicapped child is broadly complementary to that provided by the statutory authorities and may take the form of goods, services or a grant of money for some definite purpose with the aim of relieving stress. So far some 19,000 families have been helped by the fund.
The bulk of the fund's money has been provided by the Exchequer, although there has been a small but valued contribution from charitable sources. In addition the Joseph Rowntree Memorial Trust, which administers the fund on the Government's behalf, has made use of its own administrative and accounting machinery, and I 609W would like to express the Government's warm appreciation of its generous action.