§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will estimate the cost of care for patients with multiple sclerosis.
§ Sir George YoungI regret that it is not possible to estimate the cost of care for patients with multiple sclerosis falling on the Health Service and personal social services, since costs relating to individual conditions are not separately identified.
§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of the population has been diagnosed as suffering from multiple sclerosis.
§ Sir George YoungInformation is not centrally available about the percentage of the population diagnosed as suffering from multiple sclerosis. However, it is estimated that in 1978—the latest year for which information is available—7,990 people with a main diagnosis of multiple sclerosis were discharged from hospital. This represents a rate of 16.3 per 100,000 population.