§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce hospital waiting lists in the Mid-Essex health authority area.
§ Mr. Mellor[holding answer 1 March 1989]: All regional health authorities have been asked to take action to reduce waiting times for hospital treatment as part of the Government's waiting list initiative. A total of £194,300 has been made available to the Mid-Essex health authority from the waiting list fund in 1987–88 and 1988–89, and will enable them to treat an additional 794 in-patients and day cases from the waiting lists. The regional health authority also proposed to allocate funds to the district from the 1989–90 waiting list fund.