§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the average waiting time for each regional hospital board in England for an operation for hernia; if he will give an indication of waiting time for National Health Service patients and private patients under the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe most recent information available centrally is from the hospital in-patient inquiry for 1978 and is shown in the following table. This is based on a 10 per cent. sample and does not include day surgery cases or private patients treated in NHS hospitals.
Department at the quarter dates closest to the dates requested and the percentage change over the period were as follows:
Permanent Staff Employed in DHSS 1 April 1979 1 January 1982 Percentage change 98,369 96,849 –1.5 Although the term "first division civil servants" is not recognised Civil Service terminology, the number of staff employed in the DHSS at Principal and equivalent professional grade and above is as follows:
1 April 1979 1 January 1982 Percentage change 1,884 1,735 –7.9