§ 12. Mr. Bill O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on current trends in NHS waiting lists(a) regionally and (b) nationally. [62454]
§ Mr. DobsonI refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave earlier today,Official Report, column 759.
§ 27. Dr. PalmerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in reducing waiting lists. [62470]
§ Mr. MilburnThe Government inherited the biggest and fastest-rising NHS waiting lists ever. Since April, the number of people waiting for hospital treatment has fallen by 119,000.
§ 31. Siobhain McDonaghTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients currently have been waiting over 18 months for hospital treatment; and what was the largest figure for those waiting over 18 months in the NHS in the period 1979 to 1997. [62474]
§ Mr. MilburnThere were no patients waiting over 18 months for hospital inpatient treatment at the end of October 1998.
Data on the number of patients waiting over 18 months for hospital treatment were not collected centrally until June 1992. At the end of June 1992 there were 20,559 patients waiting over 18 months for hospital treatment which is the highest recorded number.
§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to reduce waiting times for operations in the NHS. [62463]
§ Mr. MilburnThe Government's successful drive to reduce the numbers of patients waiting for hospital admission is also reducing waiting times for patients, and latest figures show there were no patients waiting over 18 months for hospital treatment at the end of October.