§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many veterinary practices there were in the UK on(a) 1 May 1997, (b) 1 May 1998, (c) 1 May 1999, (d) 1 May 2000 and (e) 1 May 2001; and what estimate she has made of the number of veterinary practices that will be operating on 1 May 2002. [345]
§ Mr. MorleyI am informed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) that the number of veterinary practices registered with them on the dates specified were as follows:
As at 1 May Number 1997 2,042 1998 2,077 1999 2,123 2000 2,174 2001 2,312 They further inform me that veterinary practices are not under any obligation to register with the RCVS, so it is possible that these figures do not represent the true number of practices in the UK.
The RCVS is unable to estimate the number of veterinary practices that will be operating on 1 May 2002.