To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people required kidney dialysis in (a) Halton, (b) Cheshire and (c) Merseyside in the latest year for which figures are available; (243149)

The information is not centrally available.

Information on the number of patients on dialysis is collected by the UK Renal Registry. The annual reports contain analysis of data from 1997 to 2006 and can be found on the Renal Registry’s website at the following website:

www.renalreg.com

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been of purchasing kidney dialysis by the National Health Service in each year since 1997. (243150)

This information is not collected by the Department for the period for which it is requested. In 2005-06, expenditure on haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in England was estimated to be £430 million.

Information on the number of patients on dialysis is collected by the UK Renal Registry. The annual reports containing analysis of data from 1997 to 2006 can be found on the Renal Registry’s website at the following website:

http://www.renalreg.com