§ Mr. Willie W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many patients were on hospital waiting lists in March for each of the years 1980 to 1985.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe numbers on waiting lists at March of each year were as follows:
289W
Numbers 1980 69,904 1981 67,679 1982 66,692 1983 96,757 1984 85,364 The provisional figure for September 1984 is 83,061.
The increase in waiting lists caused by industrial action in 1982 is now being steadily reduced. Lists tend to overstate numbers of patients waiting for treatment since they include duplicated entries and patients who no longer need treatment.