§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the total number of consultants in paediatric dentistry, by regional health authority for 1983 and 1987; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe latest available information is set out in the table. Staffing of hospital departments is a matter for health authorities in the light of their plans for the development of services.
Table: Consultants in paediatric dentistry in England: numbers as at 30 September Region 1983 1986 Northern — — Yorkshire 1 1 Trent — — East Anglian — — North West Thames 1 1 North East Thames — 1 South East Thames — 3 South West Thames 1 1 Wessex — — Oxford — — South Western — — West Midlands — — Mersey — 3 North Western — 2 SHAs for the London PG teaching hospitals 4 5 England total 7 17