To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the number of patients and (b) the length of waiting time for smear test results in Hull and the East Riding in the past 12 months. [92847]

Within the East Riding Health Authority in 2001–02, 84.9 per cent. of women in the target age group(25–64) have has an adequate cervical smear test in the last five years, against 81.6 per cent. for the whole of England.Guidance from the cervical screening programme states that women should have to wait no longer than six weeks for the written results of their cervical smear tests. Figures for the length of waiting times are available on a regional basis. Across the Northern and Yorkshire region in 2001–02. 48 per cent. of women received their results within six weeks, of which 78 per cent. received their results within 10 weeks.