§ Mr. Steinbergasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much has been allocated for speech therapy services by the Durham district health authority; what information he has about the shortage of speech therapists (a) in Durham district health authority, and (b) nationally; and what information he has about the effect of this shortage on the demand for private speech therapy services in the Durham district health authority area.
§ Mr. NewtonThe information the hon. Member seeks relating to Durham district health authority is not collected centrally, and he may wish to write to the chairman of that authority for the information he requires. Nationally, the number of speech therapists employed has gone up by over 50 per cent. since 1979, and I am advised there is no general evidence of unfilled authorised posts.