§ 6. Mr. Jon Owen Jones (Cardiff, Central)What discussions he has had with the First Secretary about the effect of the 2000 spending review on health and social services in Wales. [130882]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. David Hanson)My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the First Secretary on a regular basis in the run-up to the 2000 spending review. The excellent settlement secured for Wales includes amounts consequential on allocations to the Department of Health which can be allocated by the National Assembly to improve health care throughout Wales.
§ Mr. JonesWhen my hon. Friend next meets the Assembly's Health and Social Services Secretary, will he encourage her to use the unique opportunity of £750 million over the next three years to rise above vested interests and parochial concerns, and to invest and build a health service in Wales fit for the 21st century? Will he encourage her to find a fair funding formula based on people's health needs, and establish that throughout Wales?
§ Mr. HansonMy hon. Friend is right in saying that additional resources are now available to the National Assembly to secure support and improve investment in the national health service in Wales. This year, the Budget gave £1,300 million extra to the NHS in Wales, and consequentials from the Department of Health will allow Assembly Secretary Jane Hutt an opportunity to ensure greater development of health services in Wales. It is clear that the Conservative party would not be able to meet those commitments, and health care would be poorer in Wales as a result.
§ Mr. Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley)Is it not true that people in Wales are being kept off the in-patient waiting list by being kept on the out-patient waiting list longer than ever before? When the Government came to power, the number of people waiting over three months for a first outpatient appointment was 28,401; today, that figure is 84,684. If anybody feels unwell in Wales, they should look not for an ambulance, but for a train so that they can get better health treatment outside Wales. When will the Minister ensure that the people of Wales get a better health service—indeed, the health service that they were promised at the last general election?
§ Mr. HansonWhere would the Conservative party find the £1.3 billion extra this year if their tax guarantee were in place? Waiting lists and waiting times are important to the Welsh Assembly and to this Government. We have put the money in place to deal with them, and the hon. Gentleman's party would cut it.