§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the changes in waiting times in key specialties, for consultations referred from general practices between June 1996 and June 1997 for(a) the north-west of England and (b) the United Kingdom as a whole. [8167]
§ Mr. MilburnInformation on the time waited by patients following written referral by their general practitioner to a hospital consultant is published quarterly in "Waiting Times for First Outpatient Appointments England: Detailed Statistics". This shows how long patients seen during the quarter had waited broken down by region, trust, specialty and timeband. Figures for the quarter ended 31 March 1997 will be published on 17 July. Copies will be available in the Library as is the corresponding publication for the quarter ended 30 June 1996.
Questions relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.