§ Mr. Terry Davisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average time people must wait for a sterilisation operation in National Health Service hospitals.
§ Sir George YoungIn 1978, the latest year for which figures are available, information obtained on a sample of hospital discharges suggested that the average waiting time for male sterilisation carried out on an in-patient basis in NHS hospitals in England and Wales was 13 weeks. The average waiting time for female sterilisation by division and ligation of oviduct was 16.8 weeks. Similar information on laparoscopic and other methods of female sterilisation is not available. No information on waiting times for sterilisations carried out on a day-patient basis is available.