§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will indicate the length of waiting time for ophthalmic surgery in Bolton; and how this compares with waiting time for such treatment on a regional or national basis.
§ Mr. NewtonI am sorry I cannot give the hon. Member all the information he seeks. For cases treated in 1984, the latest year for which information is available centrally, the estimated median interval between the date a patient was placed on the waiting list and the date of admission to ophthalmology beds in NHS hospitals in North Western regional health authority area and in England was 13 weeks and 11 weeks respectively. The numbers in the central data sample are too small for reliable estimates to be made below regional level. The hon. Member may wish to write to the chairman of the Bolton district health authority for the information he requires.