asked the Minister of Health what is the ratio of consultant ophthalmologists to the population in the various hospital areas under the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board; and what is the average ratio for the rest of the country.

The ratio of consultant ophthalmologists to population expressed as thousands of population per notional half-day of consultant time is as follows:

(a) In hospital areas in the Sheffield Region:
Barnsley	21·6
Boston	14·6
Chesterfield	22·9
Derby	17·2
Doncaster	34·7
Grantham	52·9
Grimsby	16·3
Leicester	38·5
Lincoln	10·2
Nottingham (including Mansfield)	16·5
Rotherham	30·5
Scunthorpe	16·3
Sheffield (including Teaching Hospital staff)	25·9
Worksop	22·3
(b) In the rest of England and Wales: 19·9

NOTE.—Regional hospital board and board of governors staff cannot conveniently be separated for the purpose of this table and all ophthalmologists in the geographical regions concerned are therefore included.