Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Mark Simmonds
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost to the NHS of collecting figures for (a) inpatient and (b) outpatient waiting times in 2007-08.

Mr. Bradshaw
There are no figures available on the monetary cost of collecting figures on waiting times. However, the review of central returns process estimates the burden in terms of person years. The current estimated burden for providing monthly and quarterly inpatient and outpatient waiting times figures is 10.8 person years in total, 6.6 years for outpatients and 4.2 years for inpatients.