§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (I) if he will make a statement on his policy on skin diseases;
(2) what measures he will take to improve awareness of the problems encountered by persons with skin disease;
(3) if he will meet the National Eczema Society;
(4) what is the annual amount of financial aid he gives to organisations in Wales devoted to assisting those who suffer skin diseases; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesTreatment of skin diseases is a matter for practitioners and for health authorities within their obligations to maximise health gain. The subject of skin diseases will be included in further advice to guide local strategies for health, to be published shortly.
No direct grants are currently made to voluntary organisations specifically concerned with skin diseases. I am always prepared to consider requests for meetings from organisations such as the National Eczema Society.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many consultant dermatologists there are in each health district; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe requested information is given in the following table:
Consultant Dermatologists in Posts1 Clwyd 1.8 East Dyfed 1.8 Gwent 2.0 Gwynedd 1.1 Mid Glamorgan 2.0 Pembrokeshire 0.2 Powys 0.1 South Glamorgan 3.0 West Glamorgan 1.8 1 Whole-time equivalents of consultants in post as at 30 Septembei 1991.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the percentage of referrals for new hospital out-patients in 1991–92 which related to skin diseases.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe available information relates to referrals for new hospital out-patients in the specialty of dermatology. There were 29,522 such referrals in 1991–92, which represented 5.3 per cent. of all referrals.
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