§ 43. Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the reduction in hospital waiting lists from 3 May 1979 to the latest available date.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThere is no available figure for the number of persons waiting for in-patient hospital admission on 3 May 1979, but on 31 March 1979 the number in England was 752,422. On 31 March 1981 that number had fallen to 628,333, and the provisional figure for 30 September 1981, based on a 90 per cent. return, is 620,000.