§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out, for each ambulance service in England and Wales for either a one or a three-month period in 1993, the number and percentage of responses to emergency incidents which were made within(a) eight minutes, (b) 14 minutes and (c) more than 25 minutes; what targets were set out under the patients charter; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the terms of the charter are complied with in 1994.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe information requested on the number and percentage of responses to emergency incidents is available only on an annual basis, figures for 1992–93 will be available shortly and these will be placed in the Library. The patients charter requires 95 per cent. of 37W emergency calls to be answered within 14 minutes in urban areas and 19 minutes in rural areas. Within the national health service internal market it is for purchasers of services to set the standards required of service providers and to ensure that the standards are met. Information relating to Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.