To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of hydatidosis were recorded in Wales in each of the last 10 years.

The information is not available in the form requested. However, the number of deaths and discharges from NHS hospitals in Wales for which a diagnosis of hydatidosis was recorded is given in the following table for the years 1981–90.

Year	Deaths/Discharges
1981	27
1982	26
1983	32
1984	34
1985	25
1986	31
1987	25
1988	12
1989	17
1990	19

This information is obtained from individual hospital activity analysis records. Figures for recent years may differ from those released previously as more information has become available. The figures may still understate the true position in that not all hospitals provide complete clinical details relating to patient discharges and deaths. Corresponding data for 1991 and 1992 are not yet available centrally on an all-Wales basis.