§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the expenditure on the Scottish ambulance service for Scotland as a whole and for each health board area for each of the past five years at constant prices.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythScottish ambulance service operational areas do not coincide with health board boundaries and it is not possible to calculate expenditure for each health board area. The expenditure for the whole of Scotland over the past five years at constant 1986–87 prices calculated by applying the gross domestic product (market prices) deflator, is as follows:
352W
Year Expenditure £ 1983–84 25,867,460 1984–85 25,747,847 1985–86 25,677,434 1986–87 28,011,143 11987–88 30,372,439 1 Provisional.
§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many one-man ambulances there are still operating in each health board area in Scotland.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythSingle-manned ambulances are not a specific type of vehicle. Ambulances are crewed by one or two members of staff in the light of operational circumstances, particularly the mobility and physical condition of the expected patients. There are longstanding arrangements to reinforce a single crew member if necessary.
§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many ambulances there are per 1,000 of the population in(a) Scotland as a whole and (b) for each health board area; and what is the equivalent ratio for England and Wales.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythIn December 1987 (the latest figure available) the number of ambulances per 1,000 of population in Scotland was 0.17. The number in each health board area is not readily available, since Scottish ambulance service operational areas do not coincide with health board boundaries. The ambulance service in England and Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services.