§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are now the waiting times for cardiac operations for patients (a) within Tayside, (b) within the Lothians and (c) within Scotland as a whole.
§ Mr. Allan Stewart:Patients from Tayside requiring cardiac surgery are operated on in Edinburgh. The average waiting time for cardiac surgery in Lothian is at present 17 weeks, and for Scotland as a whole 15 weeks.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will implement measures to ensure a reduction in the length of waiting-time for urological operations in the Tayside region.
§ Mr. Allan Stewart:No. It is for health boards, in the light of local requirements, to determine the relative priorities of the various services for which they are responsible, and to ensure that resources allocated to particular services are used effectively.