To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many air ambulances were operating in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; what estimate he has made of their operating cost in that period; and how much of the cost was paid by the public purse; (170591)

The Department is not responsible for air ambulances, and does not routinely collect air ambulance data centrally. However, the Department has previously commissioned research into helicopter emergency ambulance services. The research undertaken estimated that there were 16 air ambulances operating across 14 organisations in England and Wales and that an the average annual operating costs of an individual air ambulance were around £0.8 million a year (based on data from 11 of the 14 organisations, ranging from 2000 to 2001-02). In addition, representatives from ambulance trusts and air ambulance charities are currently working together to seek to improve joint working practices and procedures and undertook a survey of air ambulance charities in August/September 2007 to which 14 air ambulance organisations responded. Those responses indicated that there were 24 helicopters and that the average expenditure per helicopter per annum was £0.8 million. Neither piece of work provided information on insurance costs.

Since 1 April 2002, the Department has made clear that it would normally expect the national health service to meet the cost of clinical staff on air ambulances, but the levels of such funding are not collected centrally. It is for NHS ambulance trusts to decide whether they provide any additional funding to the air ambulance charities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were airlifted by air ambulances in the last 12 months for which figures were available. (170593)

The information is not collected centrally.