§ 17. Mr. GowTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he is taking to reduce waiting lists at the Eastbourne district general hospital.
§ Mrs. CurrieIn addition to the improvements that we are seeking within existing resources, last year we made an extra £110,000 available to Eastbourne from the waiting list fund. This was used for nearly 100 additional hip operations. This year we have increased the allocation to £155,000, and it will be used for gynaecology and ear, nose and throat patients.
§ Mr. GowIs my hon. Friend aware that for some specialties the waiting lists in Eastbourne are becoming longer, as is the time involved? Does she agree that for a woman to have to wait two years for a hysterectomy is absolutely unacceptable?
§ Mrs. CurrieMy hon. Friend raised these issues in his Adjournment debate on 29 April. I assure him that there has been a good deal of activity in Eastbourne since then. He was then particularly concerned about gynaecology. He has my firm promise that we will get the waiting lists down, and I will write to him in more detail by the end of the week.