§ Mr. Randallasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what estimate he has made of the number of ophthalmic operations which did not take place as a result of the closure of ophthalmic beds at the Hull royal infirmary in the last financial year;
(2) what was the reduction in the number of available beds in the last financial year in hospitals in Hull whose loss was attributed by the responsible health authorities to shortage of funds;
(3) what information he has as to the number of ward closures in hospitals in Hull during the last financial year for which the responsible health authorities gave shortage of funds as the reason; and if he has any plans to increase funding for the Hull district health authority;
(4) what is his estimate of the effect on the waiting time for cataract operations in the Hull health authority hospitals as a result of the reduction in ophthalmic beds in the last financial year;
(5) what estimate he has made of the effect on patients of those reductions in beds and other services in the general surgical wards in the Hull district health authority in the last financial year for which shortage of funds has been given as the reason.
§ Mr. HayhoeI regret that the information requested is not available centrally. The regional health authority is responsible for deciding on the levels of funding for individual district health authorities. The hon. Member may therefore wish to contact the chairmen of the regional and district health authorities for the information he seeks.