HC Deb 15 October 1990 vol 177 cc655-6W
Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the total staff of the London ambulance service for each month since January 1989.

Mr. Dorrell

Data is not collected in the form requested but annual figures are available in a national ambulance survey prepared by York health authority. The total numbers of staff for the last two available financial years for the London ambulance service are given in the table. Total staffing figures include officers, operational staff and general staff such as mechanics and domestics.

London Ambulance Service Total staff (whole-time equivalent)
1987–88 1988–89
Total Staff 2,939.19 2,993.19

Source: York health authority

National Ambulance Survey 1987–88 and 1988–89

The management of the London ambulance service is the responsibility of the London ambulance service board, chairman Mr. James Harris, to whom the hon. Member may wish to write for further information.

Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the average response time for the London ambulance service in emergencies for each week since January 1989.

Mr. Dorrell

Data are collected centrally only on a financial year basis. In both 1987–88 and 1988–89 the median response time to emergency calls was less then 10 minutes. The management of the London ambulance service is the responsibility of the London ambulance service board, chairman Mr. James Harris, to whom the hon. Member may wish to write for more detailed information.

Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list(a) the total number of vehicles and (b) vehicle miles covered by the London ambulance service for each week since January 1989.

Mr. Dorrell

Data is not collected in the form requested but annual figures are available in a national ambulance survey prepared by York health authority. The total numbers of vehicles and vehicle miles for the last 2 available financial years for the London ambulance service are given in the table. Vehicles included ambulance and other ambulance service vehicles such as major incident vehicles and recovery vehicles.

London ambulance service: vehicles and vehicle miles
1987–88 1988–89
Vehicles 994 963
Vehicles miles 12,369,411 12,199,647

The management of the London ambulance service is the responsibility of the London service board, chairman Mr. James Harris, to whom the hon. Member may wish to write for further information.