§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average waiting time at(a) Chorley and South Ribble NHS hospital casualty department and (b) Preston NHS Acute hospital casualty department in the last six months. [11546]
§ Jacqui SmithI apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer him to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002,Official Report, column 192W.
This information is not collected centrally. However, in the week ending 24 February, 84 per cent. of patients attending at Chorley and 77 per cent. of patients at Preston departed from the accident and emergency departments in under four hours.