HC Deb 04 February 1997 vol 289 c581W
Mr. Wallace

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new patients seeking out-patient consultations in 1996 involved a wait longer than nine weeks; and what proportion of the total number of referrals these patients represent. [11952]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

[holding answer 27 January 1997]: The number of new outpatient referrals in the year to 31 December 1996 where the patient waited more than 9 weeks was 325,689 out of a total number of 1,199,027. This represents 27.2 per cent. of the total number of referrals. These figures are provisional.