To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of clostridium difficile infection were reported in people aged 65 years and over in each NHS trust area in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. (269147)

The information requested is not available as the mandatory surveillance scheme in which acute trusts report all cases of clostridium difficile infection in people aged 65 years and over began in January 2004. These data comprise all specimens processed by NHS acute trust laboratories, not just those from in-patients and include infections acquired in hospital and elsewhere.

Data for each trust for the calendar years 2004 to 2007 are published on the Health Protection Agency's website at:

www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1216193834915

The annual totals for England are:

It should be noted that data are no longer published by calendar year. Data up to financial year 2008-09 will be available in July 2009.