§ Mr. Robert McCrindleTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the numbers of people on waiting lists for hip operations, kidney transplants, eye operations, varicose vein operations, cosmetic surgery, heart operations and heart and lung transplants in England and Wales, at the latest time for which statistics are available; what was the comparable figure for the same period last year; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Freeman[holding answer 20 November 1988]: We collect waiting list information centrally by specialty rather than by type of operation. This is available in the Library. However, separate figures for patients waiting for kidney, heart or combined heart and lung transplants are notified to the United Kingdom transplant service, for the United Kingdom as a whole. This information is provided in the table.
Questions about waiting lists in Wales are for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Patients waiting for Transplants in the United Kingdom 25 November 1987 25 November 1988 Kidney 3,271 3,491 Heart or heart/lung 338 396 The number of transplants of these organs carried out from 1 January to 25 November 1988 is approximately 9 per cent. higher than in the comparable period in 1987.