§ Mr. ClellandTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has to indicate how widespread is the practice of consultants refusing to accept on to their700W waiting lists patients referred by GPs for non-urgent operations on the basis that this would extend the waiting lists beyond Government guidelines of acceptability.
§ Mr. MaloneNone.
§ Sir John GorstTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the present waiting lists for hospitals in the borough of Barnet; and if she will estimate what she expects them to be in 1997.
§ Mr. MaloneBarnet General and Edgware General hospitals are both managed by the Wellhouse national health service trust. At 30 September 1994, there were 5,671 patients waiting for in-patient or day case treatment at the trust, of whom none were waiting more than 18 months. I expect further progress to be made in reducing waiting times at the trust.