§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will reduce the maximum interval between general practitioner referral and hospital treatment to three months by 1997; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. MaloneThe Government have made good progress in reducing waiting times for hospital treatment and will continue to do so within the resources available.
§ Mr. HainTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the average waiting times for ophthalmic in-patient treatment for each year since 1985.
§ Mr. MaloneInformation on average waiting times by specialty is not available centrally. Data on numbers of people waiting by specialty and national health service trust are given in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England", copies of which are available in the Library.