§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made towards shortening the waiting time for cervical smear tests results as proposed in his statement of 3 January; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythHealth boards have made significant progress. All but one health board—Grampian—have achieved, or bettered, the 14-day target for reporting results which I set in December 1990. Grampian are reporting results in 17 days, a considerable improvement on the position in 1990. The board is continuing to look at ways of further improving its turnaround time.
I am pleased that all but one board have achieved what was, for many, a stretching target and I applaud the dedication and commitment of staff in boards who have made these improvements. I am glad that many women in Scotland are now having to wait a much shorter period for the results of their tests.