§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money was allocated to the public health laboratory service on Merseyside during 1986–87; how much has been allocated for 1987–88; and if he will list the full range of its responsibilities.
§ Mr. NewtonAllocations for 1986–87 are £785,000 for the public health laboratory service Liverpool laboratory and £313,000 for the PHLS Chester laboratory. Firm decisions on 1987–88 allocations have yet to be taken.
The Liverpool laboratory provides:
- i. the microbiology department for Fazakerly hospital;
- ii. certain reference services for hospitals in all health districts on Merseyside;
213 - iii. microbiology services for general practitioners in south Sefton, north Liverpool and parts of Knowsley;
- iv. a service to all environmental health departments on Merseyside.
The Chester laboratory provides:
- i. the microbiology department for the Countess of Chester hospital;
- ii. microbiology services for hospitals in the Chester district, together with certain virology tests for Wirral, Halton, Wrexham and east Clywd;
- iii. environmental microbiology services for Chester, Halton, Ellesmere Port, Neston. Warrington, Vale Royal, Crewe and east Clywd;
- iv. microbiology services for general practitioners in Wirral, west and north Cheshire and parts of east Clywd.
§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many personnel are currently employed in the public health laboratory service on Merseyside; and what were the levels of establishment over the past five years.
§ Mr. NewtonThe public health laboratory service Liverpool laboratory has 58 staff; its establishment has increased by one over the past five years. The PHLS laboratory at Chester, which provides some services to parts of Merseyside, has 26 PHLS staff together with six National Health Service staff; the size of its establishment has remained unchanged in the past five years.