§ Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by each health district the number of consultants in each specialty who have merit awards; and what this figure represents as a percentage of the total number of consultant posts.
§ Mr. GristThe following information is given on an all-Wales basis rather than by health districts in order to preserve the confidential nature of the awards.
Wales Specialty Number Anaesthetics 34 Cardiology 3 Cardio-Thoracic surgery 2 Community medicine 13 Dermatology 4 Diseases of the chest 2 Ear, nose and throat 10 General medicine 38 General surgery 28 Genito urinary medicine 1 Geriatric medicine 6 Mental illness/Mental handicap 30 Neurology 5 Neurosurgery 5 Obstetrics and gynaecology 17 Ophthalmology 6 Orthopaedic surgery 15 Paediatrics 14 Paediatric surgery 2 Chemical pathology 2 Haematology/Blood transfusion 8 Histopathology 11 Medical microbiology 4 Plastic surgery 4 Radiology 16 Radiotherapy 4 Rheumatology and rehabilitation 3 Oral surgery 5 Orthodontics 3 Restorative dentistry 4 The number of award holders represents some 35 per cent. of the total number of consultants in Wales.