§ Mrs. Bridget PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many fee-paying, private wing abortions were performed in NHS hospitals, in each regional health authority in England and Wales in the latest available year.
§ Mr. SackvilleInformation relating to private abortions carried out in national health service hospitals are derived from the hospital episodes statistics—HES—system. There are problems with the data derived from this system which are being investigated by the Department. It is not possible to provide figures for each regional health authority, but analyses suggest about 1,700 private abortions were recorded on HES as being carried out in NHS hospitals in England in 1990–91.