asked the Secertary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the average time spent in hospital by persons admitted as in-patients suffering from the adverse effects and suspected adverse effects of analgesics and antipyretics in the latest year for which figures are available.

The estimated average time in 1973, the latest year for which figures are available, was two and a half days. The estimate is based on a 1 in 10 sample.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the total cost of treating inpatients in NHS hospitals suffering from the adverse effects and suspected adverse effects of analgesics and antipyretics in the latest year for which figures are available.

Precise information is not available as the costs of treating specified conditions or diseases are not separately identified in hospital cost accounts. An estimate based on average hospital costs and using the number of cases quoted in my reply of 28th October—[Vol. 918, c. 346]—and an average length of stay for such cases of 2·5 days, would be in the region of £1¾ million.