Ambulance Services: Lancashire

Mr. Hoyle
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many ambulances are operating in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley;

(2) how many paramedics are based in Chorley.

Mr. Bradshaw
Information relating to the number of ambulances operating in Lancashire, including those in Chorley, as well as the number of paramedics who might be based in Chorley, is not held centrally. These data can instead be obtained direct from the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

The headcount for paramedics in the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust in 2006 was 1,175. The figures for 2007 will be available in March.