§ Mr. Peter Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are waiting for hospital operations under the National Health Service in Northern Ireland; what were the comparable figures for 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1981; and what proportion of the current figure is due to the National Health Service dispute.
§ Mr. John PattenCurrent figures for the numbers of people awaiting admission to hospital for surgical investigation or treatment are not available as the collection of statistical information has been disrupted during the recent industrial dispute.
Data on waiting lists for 1970 are not readily available, but the numbers of those on the waiting list for surgical specialties at 31 December in the other years requested were as follows: 674W
Year Number 1975 20,748 1980 20,318 1981 19,804