§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will give for each district health authority the percentage of cases on the gross demand waiting list at March waiting for 12 months or more, and the ranking for that percentage for(a) general surgery, (b) traumatic and orthopaedic, (c) ear or nose and throat, (d) cardiothoracic surgery, (e) paediatric surgery, (f) gynaecology and (g) the total waiting list;
(2) if he will give for each district health authority the percentage change in the gross demand day-case total waiting list between March 1988 and March 1989 and the ranking of that percentage change;
(3) if he will give for each district health authority the sum of the gross demand total waiting lists for in-patients and day cases in March 1988, the comparable figure for March 1989, the percentage change between the two dates and the ranking of that percentage change;
(4) if he will give for each district health authority the percentage change in the in-patient waiting list between March 1988 and March 1989 and the ranking of that percentage change, using the gross demand figures for (a) general surgery, (b) traumatic and orthopaedic, (c) ear, nose and throat, (d) cardiothoracic surgery, (e) paediatric surgery, (f) gynaecology and (g) the total waiting list;
(5) if he will give for March 1989 and for each district health authority the notional time to clear the waiting lists, and the ranking of that notional time to clear, for (a) 348W general surgery, (b) traumatic and orthopaedic, (c) ear, nose and throat, (d) cardiothoracic surgery, (e) paediatric surgery, (f) gynaecology and (g) the total waiting list;
(6) if he will give for each district health authority the March gross demand day case waiting list, and the ranking of that waiting list for (a) general surgery, (b) traumatic and orthopaedic, (c) ear, nose and throat, (d) cardiothoracic surgery, (e) paediatric surgery, (f) gynaecology and (g) the total waiting list;
(7) if he will give the March gross demand figures for the number of cases on the in-patient waiting lists for each district health authority for (a) general surgery, (b) traumatic and orthopaedic, (c) ear, nose and throat, (d) cardiothoracic surgery, (e) paediatric surgery, (f) gynaecology and (g) the total waiting list; and if he will give the ranking of each district health authority by each specialty.
§ Mr. Freeman[holding answer 30 October 1989]: The information requested has been placed in the Library. Reasons for the variations between districts in the number of cases on individual waiting lists include the size and age structure of the population and the extent of local development of specialised services. Not all health authorities provide each specialty.