HC Deb 20 March 1997 vol 292 c812W
Mr. Steen

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of his Department's expenditure in(a) Devon, (b) South Hams and (c) Torbay in each of the past five years. [21342]

Mr. Horam

The table sets out total expenditure from 1991–92 to 1995–96:

get the quickest response. Other ambulance services will adopt these systems on or after 1 October 1997 at a date agreed with their purchasers.

It is estimated that in the longer term some 3,000 additional lives a year could be saved by these procedures.

A new patients charter standard has been set that all ambulance services will be expected to reach 75 per cent. of immediately life-threatening calls within eight minutes by the year 2001 with further progress thereafter.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of heart attack victims who reach hospital or receive adequate medical attention in each health region. [20134]

Mr. Horam

The information requested is not available in the form requested. The review of ambulance performance standards published last year, which is available in the Library, suggested that survival rates could be improved and we are taking measures to ensure that this is the case.