asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what the average waiting period was for orthopaedic operations in each health board area in each of the last five years.

Information as to how long a patient has waited for his operation only becomes available when he is ready for discharge from hospital. The following table shows average waiting times in days in respect of patients discharged from hospitals during the years 1975 to 1977.Figures for l 978 and 1979 are not yet available.