HC Deb 09 September 2003 vol 410 c334W
Mr. Stevenson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have waited more than(a) three months, (b) six months, (c) nine months and (d) 12 months for elective admissions in each year since 1997. [112978]

Mr. Hutton

The table shows the length of time a patient waited for an elective finished in-year admission from 1997–98 to 2001–02, which is the latest year for which figures are available.

monitor the process. This was immediately made available to all departmental staff; its predecessor having been solely for use by the parliamentary section. It records each stage of the answering procedure, provides a transparent means of checking precisely where a question is in the process and helps to identify and clear blockages in the system.