§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many women in Wales had to wait(a) less than a week, (b) between one and two weeks, (c) over two weeks but less than four weeks and (d) over four weeks, between the date they first requested an NHS abortion and the date of the abortion in the most recent available period. [35581]
§ Mr. Win GriffithsThe waiting time from the date that an NHS abortion is first requested to the date the abortion is performed is not collected centrally.
The waiting times from the date the consultant agrees to admit to the date of admission are shown in the following table.
Abortions carried out in Welsh NHS hospitals during the financial year 1996–97 Waiting time Number of abortions Less than 1 week 2,346 Between 1 and 2 weeks 612 Over 2 weeks but less than 4 weeks 138 4 weeks and over 35 Not known 1,606 Source:
Patient Episode Database for Wales