§ Mr. Merchantasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many laser machines are in operation (a) in England and (b) in the Northern region in the National Health Service for the treatment of the early signs of cervical cancer.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe do not collect this information centrally. Decisions on the purchase of items of medical equipment must be made locally by those best able to judge the priority in terms of patient care between bids for new equipment.
§ Mr. Merchantasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money has been spent in the last 12 months (a) in England and (b) in the Northern region by the National Health Service on cervical smear tests.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe do not collect sufficient detailed figures and information centrally to be able to make a useful estimate of total expenditure on cervical smear tests carried out within the National Health Service.
§ Mr. Merchantasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in the Northern region have been given cervical smear tests in the last 12 months by the National Health Service.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe number of tests may not correspond exactly to the number of women tested and we do not hold centrally information on the number of women screened. In 1983, the latest year for which information is available centrally, the number of National Health Service cervical cytology tests performed in the Northern regional health authority was 172,123.