§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of Slate for Health in the last year for which figures are available, what was the number of patients awaiting cataract operations in England and Wales; and what percentage of them had been on the list for(a) six months, (b) a year, (c) two years and (d) more than two years.
§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley[holding answer 24 February 1992]: Waiting time information for specific conditions is not collected centrally. The latest information available centrally for the ophthalmology specialty as a whole in England is given in the table. This shows that fewer than 2 per cent. of patients had been waiting more than two years for ophthalmology treatment and 87 per cent. waited less than one year. Information relating to Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Ophthalmology waiting list at March 1991 England—All cases March 1991 Numbers Percentage Total waiting 95,210 100 0–6 months 58,125 61.0 6–11 months 24,454 25.7 12–24 months 11,094 11.7 Over 24 months 1,537 1.6