asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients from each for the health authorities in Wales were referred annually over the past three years for further heart investigations and heart surgery at London cardiac centres.

The information is not readily available and cannot be assembled without excessive expenditure in terms of time and money.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will take steps to improve cardiac services at district general hospitals in Wales; and whether he has any target number for specialist cardiac centres in Wales;(2) if he will take steps to increase the number of cardiologists in Wales.

I shall give consideration to these matters when Welsh Office officials have studied and costed the recommendations of the Welsh medical committee's report on cardiothoracic services in Wales.