§ Sir Michael NeubertTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff of consultant status were available at Oldchurch hospital, Romford, for the treatment of adult orthopaedic patients in(a) 1979, (b) 1989, and (c) the latest date for which figures are available; what are the respective ratios of orthopaedic consultants to the population in the Barking, Havering and Brentwood health district; what is the currently recommended national standard for such appointments; and what is the target set for 2005.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThis information is not collected centrally. It is for individual health authorities to decide on the relevant number of consultant posts in each specialty in the light of local needs and circumstances.