§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the secondary waiting list for multiple sclerosis sufferers in need of beta interferon; and if he will make a statement. [113348]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Department receives a high volume of correspondence on multiple sclerosis and beta interferon, some of which mentions waiting for assessment by a neurologist.
Information on waiting times for patients with multiple sclerosis is not collected but, nationally, the average waiting time of patients seen for a first outpatient 57W appointment in neurology following general practitioner was 10.6 weeks (or 74 days) during October to December 1999–2000 (the latest data available).