asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of (a) secretarial and (b) clerical staff in the north-west region of the National Health Service are women.

[pursuant to his reply, 28 April 1987, c. 107]: At 30 September 1985 the proportion of all National Health Service secretarial and clerical staff employed in the North Western regional health authority who are female was 95 per cent. It is not possible to separately identify secretarial and clerical staff as requested without incurring disproportionate cost.