§ 23. Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the latest waiting lists for the Mersey regional health authority and the Liverpool teaching health authority.
§ Mr. NewtonThe latest figures show that, while the total on the list is significantly below previous years and has remained stable over the last year, Mersey regional health authority has already made substantial progress in reducing the proportion of patients who have to wait excessively for treatment. For Liverpool district health authority, for example, the proportion on the waiting list for over a year is under two thirds of the national average. Both the region and Liverpool district have ambitious plans in hand to make further progress.