Oral Answers to Questions

Russell Brown Excerpts

Tuesday 7th December 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The Minister will resume his seat. His answers have been excessively long-winded and repetitive—and it must not happen again. I have made the position clear and I hope that the Minister will learn from that.

[Mr Russell Brown (Dumfries and Galloway) (Lab)]

18. What estimate he has made of the change in average waiting times for patients waiting for diagnostic tests since May 2010.

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Mr Simon Burns)]

Patients are continuing to receive timely access to diagnostic tests. In September 2010, the median waiting time for 15 key diagnostic tests was 1.7 weeks, compared with 1.8 weeks in May.

[Mr Brown]

I thank the Minister. Does he expect waiting times to stay down now that they have been scrapped or will they simply be ignored by no longer being performance-managed?

[Mr Burns]

I suggest that the hon. Gentleman studies the response given earlier by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the right hon. Member for Exeter (Mr Bradshaw). By concentrating resources and reforming the system to improve outcomes, we will provide enhanced health care for all our constituents in England.