Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people were waiting for NHS treatment at the latest date for which figures are available; how long they had been waiting; and whether the Labour Party manifesto contains any commitment to reduce the absolute level of either of these figures over the course of this Parliament.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington)The latest available information about patients waiting for admission to National Health Service trusts on either an in-patient or 171WA day case basis is contained in Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England, at 31 March 1997, copies of which are available in the Library. Questions relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively. Our manifesto commitment is to treat an extra 100,000 patients from waiting lists. We feel it is equally important that patients with the greatest need should get quicker access to hospital services when they need it and this is why as a priority we are focusing on ending waits for cancer treatment, especially breast cancer.
Prevalence of smoking by sex and type of product smoked amongst adults aged 16 and over Great Britain, 1984 to 1994 Percentages 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 Men Cigarettes1 37 35 33 31 29 28 Pipe ¨ 6 4 4 4 3 Cigars 10 10 9 8 7 6 All smokers2 433 44 40 38 36 33 Women Cigarettes1 32 31 30 29 28 26 Cigars 0 1 0 0 0 0 All smokers2 33 31 31 29 28 26 All persons Cigarettes1 36 33 32 30 28 27 Pipe ¨ 3 2 2 2 1 Cigars 5 5 4 4 4 3 All smokers2 373 37 35 33 32 29 Notes
1Figures for cigarettes include all smokers of manufactured and hand-rolled cigarettes.
2The percentages for cigarettes, pipes and cigars add to more than the percentage for all smokers because some people smoked more than one type of product.
3 In 1984 men were not asked about pipe smoking, and therefore the figures for all smokers exclude those who smoked only a pipe.
Source:
Office for National Statistics General Household Survey.