§ Sir Cranley OnslowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total cost to the NHS of termination of pregnancy operations in England and Wales in the last 12 months for which figures are available; what proportion of total NHS expenditure this represented; and what were the corresponding figures for each of the previous five years.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe annual cost to the national health service of termination of pregnancy is not available centrally. The cost of this treatment varies according to factors such as gestation and length of stay. The estimated average cost of a surgical abortion in a NHS hospital is £140 for a day case and £270 for a straightforward in-patient case, at 1990–91 figures. In 1991, there were 54,602 residents of England and Wales treated in the NHS on a day care basis and 20,570 as in-patients.