§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to replace cobalt sources with linear acceleration machines in radiotherapy units. [52813]
§ Mr. BoatengWe have made no central plans, as this is a matter for local decision making. A report about availability of radiotherapy was published by the Royal College of Radiologists on 8 July 1998; it provides valuable information for the local planning of services. The report indicates that in 1997 there were 22 cobalt machines in use in the United Kingdom, of which only 3 were less than five years old. This suggests that recent purchases have been of linear accelerators; it is expected that this trend will continue as cobalt machines reach the end of their useful lives and are replaced.