87 and 88. Mrs. Butlerasked the Minister of Health (1) when full facilities will be available in this country to enable surgeons to undertake the closure of ventricular septal defects in young children;
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people in this country requiring surgical closure of ventricular septal defects.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithThis is a very difficult operation which is not ready for use outside a few centres in this country, and the information is not available to permit of an estimate of the number who might benefit from it. It follows that it is not possible to say when facilities for it are likely to become generally available.