To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many surgeons in the NHS were capable of carrying out transplant surgery in each of the last 10 years. (154277)

Transplant surgery is a sub-specialty of general surgery; the Information Centre for Health and Social Care does not collect information by sub-specialty.

The 2006 NHS workforce census showed there were 1,756 consultants working in the general surgery speciality, an increase of 578 or 49 per cent. since 1997.