§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will detail the information available to his Department on the waiting times experienced by patients for appointments to see consultants for each district and for each specialty.
§ Mr. WhitneyThis information is not at present available centrally. However, the Health Services information steering group has recommended in its first report that a new annual district return be submitted centrally to record, by specialty, the number of patients waiting for an out-patient appointment. Health authorities have been asked to plan on the basis that the steering group's report will be implemented by April 1987.