§ Mr. DunnachieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many patients are currently on waiting lists for in-patient treatment at National Health Service hospitals in Scotland.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe provisional figure for 30 September 1987 is 77,772. The industrial action in 1982 led to an increase of over 29,000 in the waiting lists between March 1981 and March 1983, and the recent industrial action has resulted in nearly 3,500 operations being cancelled between January and April this year.