§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the figures by year and in total for the number of hospital posts notified to his Department in which the job description included a duty to advise, undertake or participate in abortions from 31 December 1983 to the latest date for which figures are available; and what was the total number of such posts vacant in each year and in total for(a) psychiatry, (b) anaesthetics and (c) obstetrics and gynaecology.
§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley[pursuant to her reply, 20 February 1990, column 719]I regret the answer given was incorrect.
The number of hospital posts notified to the Department of Health in which the job description included a duty to advise, undertake or participate in abortions from 31 December 1983 to the latest date for which figures are available are given in the table. These figures refer only to consultant posts, as information on other hospital grades is not held centrally. Also, the data requested on vacant posts are not held centrally.
Year Total Psychiatry Anaesthetics Obstetrics and gynaecology 1984 11 0 2 9 1985 2 0 2 0 1986 1 0 0 1 1987 2 0 1 1 1988 3 0 1 2 1989 5 0 0 5